


Participants

by lemonysharkbait



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Blow Jobs, Consensual Sex, M/M, Motorcycles, Organized Crime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 14:10:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20116372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonysharkbait/pseuds/lemonysharkbait
Summary: It’s the 19 Days vampire AU no one asked for! Thought vampire stuff was dead? Yeah, me too. Then I got sucked into Vampire Knight (don’t ask) and remembered just how many sexually charged moments vampire stories create. And then this happened





	1. First Blush

TIAN

He Tian smelled him before he saw him. It was the thrumming full smell of someone he wanted to proposition, immediately. He rounded the corner into the parlor room and the site of the man himself sealed his want.

Long pale arms draped over the back of a low couch. The man’s back was to He Tian, but he turned his head when he heard footsteps, locking bright brown eyes onto He Tian. He Tian almost stopped dead in his tracks, almost. The other man eyed him up and down and then snorted, “You all wear the same thing.”

He Tian crossed the room and sat down across from the man. Incredibly, his red hair was real, not some garish dye. His clothes clashed with the somber surroundings of the large mansion. A loose yellow t-shirt hung off his frame. With his arms up along the back of the couch, the edges of his t-shirt lifted to reveal a sliver of skin and the band of his briefs. Sitting low across his hips was the band of his track paints, which tapered to an expensive pair of soft pink Nikes. The red head was looking off to the side with his feet on the coffee table. The large bay window in the room bathed the red head in soft afternoon light. A warm fire crackled in the fireplace.

What a dream. He Tian felt confined in his three-piece suit. 

The red head turned and locked eyes with He Tian again “Do I smell good to you?”

He Tian tried not to look dumb founded. “Pardon?”

“You’re practically eye-fucking me.”

Mouthy.

He Tian put on his winningest smile. “It’s just your skin–“

“Oh my skin,” the red head cut him off, rolling his eyes. “I used to be singled out for my skin and hair but now it’s all you vamps talk about.”

He Tian let out a small laugh. Of course others would comment on his skin. It was pale, so beautifully pale. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what was thrumming underneath.

“You should see him when he flushes.” He Tian and the red head turned to see She Li breeze into the room. “You opened the blinds.” It wasn’t a question. “Shut them for us.” The red head’s eyes looked like they would shoot daggers if they could. Grudgingly, he stood and slowly sauntered over to the heavy blinds, pulling them shut and encasing the room in dim light.

His smell washed over He Tian, doubly strong, sweet and acidic like wine, or champagne with grapefruit.

“Do you want a taste, He Tian?” She Li sat smirking, across from He Tian. The red head tensed.

“I prefer for the arrangement to be mutual.” So the red head was one of She Li’s participants. 

The red head crossed the room and sat back down on the couch next to She Li. The smell wafted over He Tian again, making it momentarily hard to think.

She Li shrugged and changed the topic, launching into the recent rash of unsolved murders in the area, the work of a vampire that would cause another panic and a round a stricter laws if he or she didn’t stop. The topic moved into blood deals and trades, gossip at first but then it began to get closer to the reason for He Tian’s visit.

“Should he be here?” He Tian motioned towards the red head. She Li drew the red head’s wrist into his grasp, tracing lazy circles on the soft skin of his upturned arm. The red head didn’t react. In fact, he looked bored.

“Mo Guan Shan recently came into service for the Shes. He’s under my command.”

Mo Guan Shan. He Tian wanted to make Shi Li drop Guan Shan’s wrist, let the red head go. Instead, He Tian shrugged.

The rest of their conversation was short. Simple details of handoffs and buyers. She Li kept Guan Shan’s wrist in his hand the entire time, tracing circles that might have been absent minded if it weren’t She Li.

He Tian ignored it and made to go at the first opportunity. She Li drew Guan Shan’s wrist up to his face, inhaling deeply. “Are you sure you don’t want a taste? He must smell better to you than he does to me.”

He Tian smiled his best fake smile, watching the snake-like eyes of She Li, “No, I must get back.”

“If you insist.”

She Li dipped his head, licking Guan Shan’s wrist and then sinking in a penetrating bite. He Tian noticed Guan Shan didn’t even flinch, and He Tian felt a small twinge of jealousy and sadness at the realization that Guan Shan had this done to him many times before. And then the smell hit. His open wrist released his full scent and He Tian felt a surge of want that made him stumble. He caught himself on the back of a chair and lingered for a second, trying desperately to compose himself while thoughts of sinking his teeth into the delicate skin of the red head’s throat roiled through his mind.

He stifled his thoughts enough to stand. Guan Shan was looking at him with those intensely bright eyes. She Li moved to push Guan Shan into the couch and slide partially on top of him, losing himself to bloodlust. He Tian strode out of the room.

The scent stayed with him all the way out of the complex and down to his car. Shaking, he dialed the number that would bring him relief from his sudden, intense thirst. 

GREY

Grey knew, from the second he entered the apartment, that He Tian was on the edge of full blown bloodlust. The large airy apartment was dim, all the lights were off but the floor-to-ceiling windows let in cold winter light.

The man– or rather vampire– himself sat low on his couch, eyes unfocused and his breathing barely stable, his chest rising and falling unsteadily. His long winter jacket and suit jacket were discarded on the coffee table. Rick and Morty played silently on the TV.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice.” Such a silky deep voice. He Tian had the habit of making it slightly menacing, like he knew something you didn’t.

“It’s no problem.” Especially for the convenience fee he would be paid. He crossed the room and half knelt on the couch. He Tian turned his eyes on him and Grey shivered. The coal black eyes were unfocused with a haze of want. He Tian drew Grey on top of him. There would be no preamble today.

He Tian’s cold fingers rolled up his sleeve. Warm breath ghosted on the underside of his wrist, then the pressure of He Tian’s tongue and a gentle kiss pushed against the soft skin– broken by a quick piercing pain, like the initial sting of a shot, followed by a rush of heady endorphins. He Tian looked up at him from under thick lashes. Grey feebly fought his own rising desire and let out a small groan. Why must vampires turn every feeding into something so sensual?

He couldn’t deny it was intimate, and maybe this was just the natural human reaction to a vampire bite, akin to the welts that rise up from mosquito bites. Or it was just He Tian. Whatever the cause, he wouldn’t be getting release this time. He Tian was drinking deep.

Grey leaned into He Tian, resting his entire weight on the absurdly strong man as his own body, instead of going into shock, sank into a warm relaxing stupor.

He awoke on the couch, covered with a blanket, his wrist tightly bound and elevated. His head pounded with an excruciating headache. On instinct, he tried to sit up, but the room spun.

“You probably shouldn’t move.”

Grey grabbed his head. “Jesus, He Tian, what got into you?”

He Tian snorted. He was in the far corner of the large open room, smoking and watching Grey.

“A Red Head. Well, he wasn’t in me, but,” He Tian ended his thought with a drag on his cigarette. “Sorry, by the way, I didn’t mean to, well.” He gestured at Grey.

“I knew a red head once.” Grey said it absentmindedly.

He Tian hummed, letting out an “mm” of acknowledgement. He had probably met hundreds of red heads in his lifetime. How old was he? A century? A millennium? 

Grey let out a laugh as he let his brain surge with memories. “Yeah, from elementary school, which feels like a long time ago in my life.” Grey looked at the food on the coffee table. It was from his favorite take-out place. He Tian never cooked, but he made sure to learn where his participants liked to eat. He took the best care out of any of the vampires Grey knew. He always had pain pills and water on hand. He was gentle with his bites and careful not to make blood stains. He would walk or drive to any food place in the city and pick up the participant’s favorite dishes. He even learned what shows people liked to watch and the music they preferred and would play for them whatever they wanted. And he had the best shower, it was modern and overly luxurious with heated tile and the ability to choose the exact temperature the water should be. Not to mention the perfectly fluffy towels.

He had never taken this much blood. It wasn’t uncommon for a vampire to take a little too much, but they all seemed to know how to hook up an iv. Grey had woken up only once before with an iv in his arm, the result of a vampire drinking too deeply. He Tian had never done that to him and he doubted he ever would.

Grey rolled his head slightly, reaching for a cup of water. “God, if it’s Guan Shan who you’re pining after, good fucking luck.” He had another sentence after that one, but He Tian was suddenly in his vision, in his space. It was uncanny how fast they could move.

“You know him?”

“Him? Guan Shan? We were good friends from elementary school all the way through high school. We kept in touch afterwards, although he took a nosedive off the face of the planet about two months ago. No one’s heard from him.”

He Tian had composed himself into silence. He was thinking.

“You’re sure the guy you saw was Guan Shan?”

He Tian smiled warily, “Natural red hair, bright brown eyes, pale skin and a permanent scowl.”

Grey snorted, “Yeah, that’s him. With She Li?”

He Tian looked ready to burst with too many questions, questions he quickly stifled. His cigarette was finished, yet he still held it between his fingers.

“What is She Li like?” He Tian asked the question quietly.

Grey grimaced. “I only had him once, so I don’t really know.” He Tian fixed his gaze on Grey and Grey felt compelled to answer.

“He’s, he’s, well, intense. You are totally his when he feeds and he doesn’t let you forget that. But when he’s done,” Grey let the sentence hang.

He Tian silently walked over to the ashtray on the other side of the room, then crossed back and sat on the edge of the couch. Grey felt the divot He Tian’s weight made. He Tian turned towards Grey and motioned at the food. “May I?”

“Be my guest, I can’t eat right now anyways.”

He Tian popped open a lid to something and started scooping food onto his plate.

“I am sorry.”

Grey leaned towards the warmth. “I know.”

MO

Guan Shan woke up on the carpet, a deep chill in his bones. He saw the dark paneled ceiling slowly come into focus. His head hurt and somewhere he felt a tube. He thought about intense eyes. Coal dark.

“You’re awake.”

“Welcome to the land of the living.” Guan Shan mumbled. He realized his whole body hurt. “How much did you take?”

She Li snorted “Barely enough, blood bag. You’ve got a transaction tomorrow.”

“Ok. Can someone help me on the couch? I’m a little tired.” He could hear the clack of shoes leaving the room.

“I’ll get someone.”

Guan Shan lay there for a long time.

—

“Red?!” Guan Shan heard his old name and didn’t want to react, but old habits die hard.

“It is you. Old habits die hard, huh?”

Guan Shan scowled. What is this ghost doing, wandering around his present?

“How are you doing?”

“Fine.”

Grey snorted “You don’t look fine, She Li take too much?”

Guan Shan didn’t respond. He turned to walk through the bustling flower market to the vendor they had come to see. His head was killing him and the thick smell of fresh flowers and loud sounds of the bustling mart made the pain worse. He felt like his entire body was bruised. One of his steps faltered.

He felt Grey’s grip on his elbow. “Jesus, Shan. Come on, let’s get you to the delivery truck.”

They passed the stalls of flowers, Grey’s tight grip on his arm the entire way, and turned into the stall they needed. Grey went to walk Guan Shan to the back of the stall, where the delivery truck would be waiting in the alley, but Guan Shan wrenched his arm out of his grip.

“I’m fine. I have to stay to see it loaded.” Grey shrugged while their flower man shuttered the stall. Well, really she was a flower woman.

Chen was all useful muscle and spattered greenery. She knew everything there was to know about international flowers, and everything there was to know about the international blood trade. She greeted them happily, pulling up a stool for Guan Shan and setting a glass of water down for him. She made no comment on his appearance, it wasn’t the first time he had shown up too tired to load and unload the boxes.

“These just came in this morning, incredibly fresh.” She reached into the cooler and pulled out a long box. With sharp clippers from her apron, she cut off the binding and pulled out the thick staples used to keep the boxes shut.

“Alright boys, time to show me a sign.”

Grey pulled a small silver trinket from his pocket. It was a Jackalope, the mythical rabbit with antlers and the sign of the Yi family. So, he was here for Jin Yi. Guan Shan showed his trinket, a serpent with a head at each end of its body. It was inscribed in Greek with “The amphisbaena has a twin head, that is one at the tail end as well, as though it were not enough for poison to be poured out of one mouth.”

He like the description.

Chen nodded and pulled the lid off the long cardboard box. Inside were bundles of flowers. Chen pushed them aside and pulled out a bag of blood, unceremoniously dropping it on the table.

“I’ve got South American and Eastern European varieties. Mr. He is getting back into business, so you’ll stop at his place before you drop the rest off at Jin Yi’s.”

Guan Shan nodded and fished the cash out of his pocket. It must have been cash that He Tian left with She Li yesterday. Grey did the same.

Chen counted the money, nodded, and tossed two jackets on the table. “Wear these so you look less like hoodlums. The jackets were emblazoned with her business logo, a bright cartoon sunflower.

They loaded up the cooler truck without Guan Shan’s help. Chen brusquely helped him into the truck, cutting off any protest with her matter-of-fact manner. Grey drove them off towards He Tian’s without looking up directions. 

“So, you met He Tian yesterday.” Grey was driving slowly through the afternoon traffic. Guan Shan looked at him weakly.

“I’m a little tired myself, I’m one of his participants.” He raised his left hand, the cuff of his sleeve falling enough that Guan Shan could see the edges of white wrapping. “We didn’t have anything planned for yesterday, but he called me up, asking if I was available. Turns out, you got him all worked up. What did you do, bleed on him?” Grey said it jokingly, but Guan Shan felt blanched.

“She Li fed on me, in front of him.”

“Jesus fuck, really? What a sick fuck.”

“He Tian doesn’t do that?” He couldn’t keep the genuine surprise out of his voice. 

“God no, he keeps his participants separate from everything else in his life. I’ve never met anyone else in his life. He probably won’t be happy to see me delivering, but Jin Yi pays well and He Tian hasn’t done business in a long time, so I never had to worry about running into him. Usually I just drop off Chinese blood with our exporter anyways. Which is probably why I didn’t know you were in this business too, until now.”

Guan Shan shivered, remembering the moment He Tian’s eyes had gone liquid, hazy with want. Grey turned up the heat.

“You should switch and work for He Tian. He’s a lot better.”

“I can’t.”

Grey didn’t press the matter and they rode in silence to He Tian’s.

Guan Shan was surprised when they pulled up to a sleek building still within Beijing. Grey pulled up to a service elevator and sent out a quick text. Guan Shan clambered out of the truck and unsteadily to his feet.

“I’m just waiting for the access code– maybe you should stay in the truck.”

Guan Shan felt himself scowl. “I’ll be fine. You won’t be able to get all of the boxes up at once by yourself.” Guan Shan opened the back of the truck. It was a cold day but he was unnaturally cold, unable to warm up even when he was in the truck with the heat at full blast. He started to pull a box out of the back when he heard the ding of the elevator and then a silky, deep voice.

“Grey, you shouldn’t be working, had I known, I wouldn’t have–“ He Tian stopped mid sentence and said something under his breath, his eyes locking on Guan Shan. The box he had been pulling slid the rest of the way out of the truck, but the effort to gently set it down was enough to make him dizzy. Guan Shan felt the unpleasant symptoms of passing out. Tunnel vision, ringing ears, labored breath. He steadied himself with a hand on the truck, trying to hide his precarious lurch towards unconsciousness.

“He shouldn’t be out. Why would–? If, if he passes out and has to be taken to the hospital, the doctors would take one look at him and know. I’m not particularly fond of She Li, but…” He Tian spoke quietly.

Grey nodded. “Yeah, you’re right, Guan Shan, why don’t you stay with He Tian until you feel well enough to leave? You’re safe with him, he’s sated.”

Guan Shan felt his heart beating weakly. He needed to sit for a second. “I’m fine. She Li ordered me–“

“I’ll deal with She Li. I’ll also compensate you for whatever you were to be paid.”

Guan Shan looked up, which was a mistake, he lost his delicate balance and leaned heavily on the van. He suddenly felt a strong arm around his waist and his own arm was slung over someone’s shoulders. He Tian’s, he realized. He hadn’t seen him move.

“No, I’ll at least stay in the van, I need to see the delivery through.”

“You already have, the portion I paid for is here. Let’s go inside.”

Guan Shan felt a blanket of calm enveloping him. He fought it. “Don’t play with me.”

He Tian smiled and the calmness lifted.

—

Guan Shan let out a low whistle when they entered the apartment. He had convinced He Tian to release him and let him stand on his own. He Tian stayed a step too close though, keyed up to catch any stumble, which just annoyed Guan Shan. He used every ounce of his stubborn will to walk steadily.

“You live here by yourself?” Everything was in shades of pale. It was tastefully artfully done, large and airy. It was also too clean, like an Airbnb waiting for the arrival of the next guest.

“My uncle owns the building, although I still pay rent.” He Tian strode around smoothly with the grace and strength that all vampires seemed to embody. “You can rest here, the TV–“

“Woah no.” Guan Shan back-peddled from the room. It was a bedroom, the master bedroom. “The couch is fine.” He felt the wash of calm pour over him. It was an unnatural dulling of his own feelings. He scowled at He Tian. “I said, don’t fuck with me.”

“You said to not play with you.” He Tian smiled his infuriating perfect smile.

“I’ll just call a cab.” That beautiful smile faltered and Guan Shan felt vindictively happy. The crashing warmth of calmness ceased abruptly and Guan Shan, momentarily, wished for it back. That was the entire problem with these creatures, you didn’t know yourself. They could twist feelings up.

“At least lie on the couch until you’re past the possibility of passing out.” He Tian glided out of the room and to the large open area. The couch and TV weren’t far from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Guan Shan couldn’t help himself. He wandered over and looked out of them. They were far from the ground. People looked like dots and cars were bright splotches. It was starting to snow.

Grey was shuffling in the boxes of flowers and blood bags. He Tian turned to help and Guan Shan strode unsteadily towards the couch. He felt better without the vampire’s intense gaze on him. He settled in. He really was very tired, literally drained.

He didn’t know when he had closed his eyes, but somehow, He Tian was there, pressing cool fingers into the crook of his arm.

“Are you taking my pulse?”

“I’m looking for a good vein. You need more fluids.”

Guan Shan vaguely thought about fighting this newest insistence. He Tian was right though.

He Tian took his silence the wrong way.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m sated. And your scent is weak right now.”

Guan Shan felt a light sting as He Tian slid the needle in and taped it down.

Guan Shan noticed there were blankets thrown over him and his shoes were off.

“You’re scowling.”

“What time is it– where is my phone?”

He Tian handed him his phone from the coffee table. His wallet and keys were there as well next to a glass of water, pain pills and a piece of fruit. His phone was even charged to 100%. Guan Shan struggled between feeling thankful and creeped out.

“I would encourage you to stay the night.”

Guan Shan looked up from his phone, his eyebrows knitting together. He didn’t mean to wear a permanent scowl, but everyone was looking for some sort of advantage, some way to get something. The less people, and vampires, that liked him the better.

He Tian reached out a cool hand, gently gripping Guan Shan’s chin. Guan Shan felt a small thrill at the touch. He turned his nose up to break the grasp.

“The only time you dropped that scowl was around She Li.”

Guan Shan nearly dropped his phone. That was because he had nothing to fight for with She Li. At least not at that moment. Resignation. The small thought drifted through his mind. No, that wasn’t fully right. He wasn’t resigned to She Li. But he was bound.

He Tian stood up and lit a cigarette, “Why do you work for him?”

“None of your business.”

“Break contract with him and work for me. I’ll pay you more.”

Guan Shan stared at him incredulously. He couldn’t tell if He Tian was joking or serious, playing with him or offering pity. Anger boiled up and he let his voice sound sharp with it.

“Being his participant isn’t about money. It doesn’t matter if he bleeds me dry. I work for him.”

“Why.”

Guan Shan stayed silent.

He Tian sighed and tapped his cigarette, sending ash into the ashtray. “He’s dangling you in front of me, although I don’t know why.”

Guan Shan stayed silent again, not understanding what the vampire wanted to him say, or even what he should say.

“So quiet. I’m sure She Li doesn’t tell you much. Well, we have all night to talk about it. You’re snowed in.”


	2. Hearts Beat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the one with the Vampires.

HE TIAN

No taxi would drive through the near blizzard that had swiftly blanketed Beijing. Guan Shan was stuck until tomorrow.

He Tian watched Guan Shan cook. Whatever he was making smelled divine. It also helped cover his infuriatingly good scent. He Tian wasn’t thirsty but he still felt a strong pull towards the red head.

“What are you making?”

“A version of beef stew. It’s what I could make with the ingredients you have. What century are you from?”

“1700s. I’m relatively young. At least in the scope of Chinese history.” Guan Shan must spend considerable time around vampires. Most people asked, “How old?” but vampires don’t usually know their exact date of birth. They refer to their pasts based on events. Leaders, purges, shifting laws. That’s how they think of time. 

“And that entire time, you didn’t learn how to cook?”

He Tian chuckled. “Still caught up on that?”

“I know people that have learned more in 30 years of life than you have in 300.”

He Tian smiled “You’re outspoken for a participant.”

Guan Shan blinked. “What?”

“You don’t try to please or placate. Most participants come from,” he paused, “unusual backgrounds, but self-preservation tames the wildest of you. Even the participants in it for the thrill only push so hard before they back off. But you crash on ahead with whatever you’re feeling, whether or not it pleases the people around you.”

At some point, He Tian had crowded Guan Shan against the counter. Several conflicting emotions rolled off the redhead in a confused mix. He finally settled for a catty “fuck off,” and started complaining about how the food would be ruined.

The food wasn’t ruined. It was the best meal He Tian had eaten in a long time.

“You don’t keep a house? Or a consort?”

Guan Shan blurted the questions in the large empty quiet of the apartment. He Tian knew his lifestyle was different than She Li’s. She Li had housekeepers and gardeners. He was married to some young model-actress, the daughter of someone important. He entertained humans and vampires alike and he loved keeping participants around to satiate any whim. The amount of participants he kept on hand was an overindulgence. He Tian stayed away when he could.

“No. The Shes live a bit differently than the rest of us. Honestly, it’s a liability with the laws against live feeding.”

Guan Shan snorted. “You all do it anyways.”

Living off donated hospital blood was like living off cold soup. Even worse, the laws only allowed vampires to drink blood donated in China and any time there was a disaster or a shortage of donated blood, the vampire’s portion was cut first. People also had the right to donate blood that would only be used for other humans. Over a billion people and not enough blood to go around.

And human’s didn’t understand how bloodlust wasn’t just about the blood. He Tian dropped his voice to a warm purr “I make sure my participants enjoy it.”

It had the desired effect. Guan Shan shivered and He Tian felt the roll of mixed emotions. It was obvious the redhead didn’t know what to feel, but a small part of him felt desire. Of course, He Tian couldn’t know where that desire came from. It was equally possible Guan Shan was remembering something as it was that he desired He Tian. But He Tian enjoyed playing things out in a game of lust. Not love. Never love. Lust was satiable. It was a bond he could have and break again and again with humans and vampires, men and women. He didn’t care whom he was with as long as they were enjoying themselves.

And he had felt sparks of desire from the red head– buried and mixed with other things, but there. He felt it during the elevator ride up with the man, when he grabbed his chin and looked in his eyes, and when he had him up against the counter. But, he felt it the strongest when he was leaving She Li’s and the scent of Guan Shan’s blood filled the air. He Tian couldn’t tell if that was desire for him or desire that She Li stoked to make the redhead’s heart pump faster and blood taste sweeter. Whatever it was, it was intoxicating. He wanted to feel it again.

The main emotion rolling off Guan Shan right now though was annoyance tinged with curiosity. He picked the dishes up off the table and put them in the sink. His brow was furrowed in thought. He had an absent minded half-pout, half-scowl on his face. It was somehow incredibly alluring. 

“I’ll do them.” He Tian took the sponge out of Guan Shan’s hand.

“Why is some blood better than others?”

The question caught He Tian off guard. She Li hadn’t told him much. “I don’t know. It has something to do with heritage, genetics. Usually the more different your heritage is from a vampire’s, the better you’ll taste to them. There are other things too like health and drugs. Why, do you think you taste good?”

Guan Shan prickled, annoyance rolling off him. That seemed to be his main emotion when he was around He Tian.

“Every vampire She Li brings around thinks I should taste like some expensive vintage wine.”

“Well, you probably do.”

Guan Shan’s persistent scowl deepened. He wasn’t asking something he wanted to ask. Maybe he didn’t know what he wanted to ask. He felt all knotted up.

He Tian turned off the water and dried his hands, turning to face Guan Shan. He grabbed his slender pale wrist and held it up to his face, breathing in deeply. Guan Shan froze in place.

“You smell like seltzer water with lime and rose, or a garden after a heavy rain. You smell like some version of that, sweet and acidic, to every vampire. Humans notice each other’s scents too, just not consciously. You’re a rarity to the vampires around here.” He Tian pressed in even closer, encouraged by Guan Shan’s curiosity and fluttering heart. He dropped his voice low. “And even without your scent, you’re beautiful. Vampires are suckers for beautiful people.”

Guan Shan’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing?” He wasn’t asking about what He Tian had said. They both felt it. At some point, He Tian had opened a connection. They could freely feel each other’s emotions tangling in a two-way conversation, like bodies pressing against each other.

“Mm, I opened a connection– Guan Shan?” He looked ready to faint. He Tian moved to support him but Guan Shan stepped back.

“I know vampires can sense emotions, and I know they can push emotions on others, but this is…” He Tian felt what Guan Shan didn’t have the words to say. Anxiety, nerves, wonder. It mixed with He Tian’s astonishment and worry.

“You’ve never been connected? It happens fairly often when we feed. We lose ourselves a bit.”

“If it has, it’s never felt like this. Turn it off.”

He Tian didn’t understand the emotions emanating from Guan Shan. It was something verging on panic.

He cut the connection.

ZHANG XIXI

“Mo Guan Shan?”

The redhead turned.

“It is you, long time no see.” Zhang Xixi walked up to Guan Shan. The redhead was on a smoke break behind the Blue Crow, a local dive bar and known vampire haunt. Zhang had a suspicion it was owned and used by the Shes as a money laundering operation. Jazz music played mutedly.

“You’re a cop.”

Zhang looked down at his uniform. “Oh, yeah, I joined after high school.” The snow from the freak storm two days ago had cleared up, but it was still frigidly cold. Zhang was going to close the conversation and get back to the warmth of his cruiser when he noticed white wrapping around Guan Shan’s wrist.

“You’re a participant.” He motioned at the bandage.

Guan Shan tensed and his eyes narrowed. He looked ready to bolt.

“Oh, I don’t, that doesn’t bother me. It’s pretty well known that all vampires do it, we don’t prosecute for it. And it would be the vampire who’s at fault.”

Guan Shan put out his cigarette. “I gotta get back to the bar.”

Zhang nodded, “Ok, good seeing you.”

The redhead nodded and disappeared inside. It was odd to see him after so many years. Guan Shan seemed calmer than he was in high school. Apparently he was still running with a bad crowd. They had briefly been friends during high school. Zhang Xixi liked his general quietness and tenacity. That, and he was the only other gay person he knew at the time. They never talked about it, and Zhang Xixi had his suspicions about Guan Shan’s friend Grey, but regardless, it helped to know they weren’t completely alone. 

Zhang Xixi sighed and took out his phone. He was a decent cop, but his real strength lay in his odd contact, a vampire who shirked the rules and told him anything he needed to know.

Hey  
Can I come over? 

Of course! ❤️ You can come over any time!   
Do you want dinner? I can pick something up.  
What do you want?   
I already left the house to get food  
But I don’t know what to get  
So I’m just driving around

Zhang Xixi shook his head at the messages and started his cruiser. 

— 

Jin Yi lived on the outskirts of the city in a large house. Jin Yi’s father lived outside of China and his mother lived in another city. Despite his openness about other vampires in the area, Jin Yi was tight lipped about his own family and his past.

Zhang Xixi drove up to Jin Yi’s house, smoothly pulling the car into the garage. Jin Yi was next to him yapping away about a new TV show, a bag of takeout in his lap. Zhang never drove his cruiser to Jin Yi’s. Cops associating with vampires wasn’t prohibited, but it brought up too many questions. Jin Yi was more than happy to pick up Zhang at the drop of a hat. Zhang always drove though. Jin Yi was a shit driver.

“…and it’s just him talking to him and they’re looking up at the moon, but you kind of know the devil is probably dead, and then Satan realizes it and it’s so sad.”

They walked into Jin Yi’s house. It’s modern and open, full of potted plants and artwork from all ages. He was in a fairy light kick and had fairy lights draped over the couch and plants and pinned to the walls.

Some areas of the house were immaculate and then others, the areas that Jin Yi used, were cluttered with random assortments of trash. 

“Zhang Xixi,” Jin Yi grabbed Zhang’s face with both hands, smashing the warm takeout bag onto his cheek, “Xixi, I promise, I’m not Satan.”

Zhang Xixi removed his hands and leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I know Jin Yi. You aren’t Satan.” He took the bag of take-out and set it on the counter.

“You always ignore me.” Jin Yi fake pouted. He was beyond beautiful no matter what face he made. Zhang strode towards Jin Yi, pressing him against the wall. He looked down into his eyes. Bluish-brown met pale grey.

“You have my full attention.”

Jin Yi reached up, lacing his fingers into Zhang Xixi’s hair. “You don’t want to eat first?”

Zhang Xixi dropped his head to Jin Yi’s throat, trailing kisses from earlobe to collarbone. “I don’t mind cold food.”

Jin Yi let out a sigh. “Neither do I.”

Making love with Jin Yi was beyond intoxicating. Zhang Xixi couldn’t leave the vampire alone if he wanted. Jin Yi liked connecting them through a channel, and Zhang Xixi loved the emotions. Pure pleasure pouring between them. And as if the connection wasn’t enough, Jin Yi made noise. He could be downright loud.

He had no qualms about yelling Zhang Xixi’s name and letting him know just how good it felt. Zhang Xixi looked down at him, pale and beautiful beneath him, flushed skin, long hair mussed against the sheets, eyes unfocused. He loved taking him apart, piece by piece, and feeling every bit of it between them.   
Jin Yi arched as Zhang Xixi pushed into him. He kissed the vampire, swallowing moans and whimpers. It had only been a week, but the time apart was apparent. They approached the edge quickly.

Zhang Xixi turned Jin Yi onto his stomach and pulled him up so that he was kneeling on the bed, his back flush with Zhang Xixi’s chest. Zhang slowed them down as much as he could, drawing out their pleasure, enjoying every sound pouring out of his lover.

Jin Yi shuddered, “Xixi, I’m going to,” Zhang Xixi had Jin Yi in his grip. He stroked him while slowly pumping his hips. Jin Yi tumbled over the precipice, panting and shaking.

Zhang Xixi pushed him against the bed and pounded into him, quickly following Jin Yi over the edge.

They lay in the bed a while, enjoying each other’s warmth. Jin Yi finally rolled over and popped up. “I’ll go grab the food!”

They sat cross legged on the bed, hunched over plates and bowls, cozy in sweatpants and tshirts, watching the show Jin Yi had been yammering about.

“I saw someone today from high school. He’s a participat now, I think for She Li.”

Jin Yi grimaced. “She Li’s not very kind with his participants. You should tell him to switch.”

“We’re not close. And he’s stubborn, he makes a decision and then sticks to it. And, now that I think about it, he probably gets paid a lot. He’s of full European descent. I don’t think he knows his dad, his mom moved here from Ireland when she was pregnant with him. He’s a natural redhead, burns to a crisp in the summer sun. His name is Mo Guan Shan.”

Jin Yi nodded along, loudly slurping noodles. “How’s your work on the murders going?”

Zhang Xixi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Stale. No new leads. No nothing. We think it’s vampire related but we don’t know for sure. We’re not even sure if they’re all connected. It could be some outside gang, drug violence or something. And the local authorities are ready to write half of them off as suicides. It keeps the crime rate lower and makes Beijing look better.

“But there’s something about them that’s nagging me, I just have a gut feeling that they are connected and it’s related to something. Not the blood trade, but something.”

Jin Yi looked pensive for a moment and then sat up, “Oh, maybe this will help somehow! He Tian’s recently re-entered the blood trade. I doubt he has anything to do with the murders, but it’s something. Honestly, he probably just got bored and decided to have some more selling parties. It’s like, the highlight of a vampire’s life around here, getting invited to a selling party. Everybody dresses up and sometimes they bring participants,” Jin Yi leaned in towards Zhang Xixi and dropped his voice, “usually an orgy-thing starts, with vampires trying each other’s participants. We’re careful not to take too much, we’re not trying to kill anyone. But it’s still dangerous, which is part of the fun.”

Jin Yi sat back up. “Then we pick out some bags of imported blood and go on our way.”

Zhang Xixi leaned over and kissed Jin Yi, surprising him. “Would you go to one of these parties if I went as your participant?”

Jin Yi laughed “Sure, although we wouldn’t do the orgy part. Also, we’d have to change your name and everything. Vampires don’t like cops.”

Zhang Xixi sighed. “You need to drink someone’s blood.” He felt the connection between them constrict. Jin Yi always had an open connection between them except for when they broached this one subject.

“I’m fine with blood bags.”

Zhang Xixi silently looked Jin Yi up and down. He was thin. And so pale. Paler than he was when they first met. Thinner than he was when they started their relationship.

“You’re not though. And it hurts me to see you like this.”

Jin Yi set his food down and layed back on the bed. “I’m fine, Xixi. I have no urge to drink from anyone anyways.”

“Then drink from me.”

Ji Yi clenched his jaw. “I can’t do that.”

Zhang Xixi sighed. He set his food down and curled up next to Jin Yi. “Why not? Jin Yi, I’d leave behind my job and marry you if I could.” The feeling pouring off Jin Yi at those words was unadulterated happiness. He wished he could do that, leave everything for him. But his family needed him and they expected him to marry a regular female human.

“But I want you to be happy and healthy no matter what. So please, drink.” Zhang Xixi layed down on his side so that they were facing each other.

Jin Yi reached out a hand, caressing Zhang’s cheek. “I’ve lost all my taste for live feeding. And I don’t know if I could stop if I did that to you again. And living off the bags is just fine. I’m alive now and I’ll be alive after you. Let’s enjoy what we have.”

Zhang Xixi’s chest constricted at those words. The idea that there was an end date for this, and Jin Yi would have to go on, hurt. He felt how much they loved each other. They didn’t hide it. He wasn’t sure either of them could make it through the loss of the other.

Jin Yi wiggled up closer to Zhang Xixi.

“Xixi, it’s ok.” he stroked his hair, but they both felt how much it wasn’t.

“It’s not though, and you know it.” Zhang Xixi’s voice was rough.

Jin Yi sighed and sat up. He cleared the food off the bed and turned off the TV. He pulled the blankets over them both. Zhang Xixi sighed a deep feeling of content when Jin Yi cuddled against him.

“Let’s just enjoy this,” Jin Yi said.

Zhang Xixi pulled him closer, tighter.

“How long do you have off?”

“A day.” He nuzzled the back of Jin Yi’s neck.

Jin Yi hummed “We should go to the aquarium. It’s been awhile.”

Zhang Xixi breathed in Jin Yi’s scent. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

SHE LI

She Li could feel the roil of emotions emanating off the redhead. He was always a mix, always a smattering of strong feelings. The redhead sat low on the couch. She Li approached from behind and reached a hand towards him, drawing fingers over Guan Shan’s chin, through his soft hair, and down the other side of his cheek.

“What’s got you so riled up?”

Guan Shan looked at him and scowled. He loved that fire.

“Nothing. What do you need me for? The shipments went smoothly.”

“So defensive, did something happen that I shouldn’t know about?” The feeling of annoyance from the red head doubled, but it was mixed with something else. Something did happen. He could only hope it was between Guan Shan and He Tian.

“Tight lipped?” He reached out and gripped the red head’s chin, running a finger over his lips. Guan Shan shuddered and pulled back. She Li strengthened his grip, pulling the red head towards him, not letting him back away.   
“I’m throwing a blood party Friday, I want you at it. You have the rest of the week off. Relax and drink plenty of water. No drugs or smoking, like usual.”

Guan Shan scowled, “What if I’m busy?”

She Li smiled and leaned in, “I know you’re not busy and I’ll pay you a little extra this month.” He leaned back, releasing his grip on Guan Shan’s face. “I’ve talked to the lawyer you want. She’ll be able to take on a new case soon.” He loved the confused mix of emotions rolling off Guan Shan. Hope, annoyance, distrust, anger– all mixed up, all fighting for control.

“When do I need to be here Friday?”

She Li stood. “Get here around 6. I’ll have an outfit for you.” 

“You couldn’t tell me this over the phone?”

“Oh don’t be like that, I wanted to see you. And there’s a lunch in the dining room today, some young ones that are curious about you.”

Annoyance and anger emanated off Guan Shan. “You should have told me you want me to entertain.” She Li understood his annoyance. The young ones were voyeuristic pricks, looking to learn what a “normal” human life was like. If they paid attention to the emotional lives of humans and vampires, they would know that they’re about the same.

Vampires have just a little more money, secrecy, age and pain.

She Li sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “If I told you, you would have been even more unmanageable.”

The red head abruptly stood and walked towards the hallway that connected to the dining room. He was dressed well in urban-chic clothes. It was the one way She Li liked to spoil his participants, lavishing expensive clothes on them, letting other vampires know this human was taken.

And surprisingly, nice clothes seemed to be Guan Shan’s one weak point. He turned down phones and watches, expensive concert tickets and box seats at sporting events. But send him a good pair of high tops, a slouchy oversized jacket, jeans with rips and a fit low on his hips and he wouldn’t say no. He wouldn’t say thank you either, but he wouldn’t say no, which was about as much as could be asked from the catty redhead.

She Li sighed. He was tasked with distracting He Tian and so far, his best bet was Guan Shan. He Tian was too shrewd to be taken in with deals too good to be true, he didn’t gamble and he was tired of travel, he didn’t even have much ambition to grow his family’s influence. He left that up to his older brother while he stayed in the shadows.

Just about the only thing that distracted him was seducing new participants. He had a knack for striking up relationships with people of all types. Young professionals, full-blown adults, beautiful people, average people, male, female, rich, poor– it didn’t matter to He Tian. He would pique their interest, enjoy them, and then cut things off before a real relationship could develop. He was a bit of a slut and not above going after people that were taken– either by another vampire or human. She Li didn’t blame him. Somewhere along the march of time, long term relationships seemed less serious, less meaningful. 

He knew He Tian wanted Guan Shan. It was a stroke of luck that someone so tied to himself was the object of He Tian’s desire. Of course, it was just a mix of lust and bloodlust, but that was fine. As long as he could string He Tian along for a few weeks.

And there’s nothing to stoke the embers of lust like a little jealousy.


	3. Pulses Quicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Vampires. A little blood. A little lust~

HE TIAN

He Tian wasn’t a fan of these things but, he had to keep up appearances. It also helped that events like this usually drove up the price of imported blood.

Everyone in She Li’s mansion was dressed in their best evening wear. The crowd mingled throughout the house. There were a lot of vampires, it had been awhile since someone threw a blood party. He Tian hated the name for these gatherings. Even worse was when someone called it a “blood ball.”

He did his best to avoid everyone and grab a drink from the bar. He would have enough people hounding him throughout the night. His family was important and generally closed off. Events like this were everyone’s chance to try and get some information out of him.

It was a game he was good at.

He Tian turned from the bar and spotted Jin Yi, leaning his elbows on a cocktail table, chin in hands, puffing on an e cigarette. He looked utterly bored.

He Tian joined him. “Hey hoe, I didn’t know you came to these things.”

Jin Yi shrugged and blew cotton candy scented smoke into He Tian’s face.

He Tian liked Jin Yi. Their pasts went far back and, for the most part, were positive, which was rare amongst beings so old.

“I came for the gossip. So far, there’s no good gossip.” Jin Yi sighed and took a sip of his martini. “Instead of gossiping, I’m getting drunk.”

He Tian raised his glass and they both took a long drink.

“Have you paid your respects to the host yet?”

He Tian shook his head.

“Neither have I. I’m not looking forward to it.”

They stood in comfortable silence for a moment, watching vampires flit around the room, showing off themselves, showing off their participants and socializing.

Jin Yi perked up suddenly. “Oh, I do have some gossip that might be interesting to you.”

He Tian recognized that smirk. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep drag and exhaling before saying “What gossip do you have that might be interesting to me?”

“I know some interesting stuff about a certain redhead.”

He Tian felt his heart rate spike and curiosity flood through him before he could reign his emotions into control. He could feel Jin Yi’s glee. They were open to each other on a channel. Vampires could always sense what one another were feeling, but a channel was a connection that was clearer and stronger. It was saved for vampires that felt at ease with one another.

“Mm, a certain redhead’?”

Jin Yi smiled lazily at He Tian. “You might be able to play the rest of this crowd, but I know your infatuated ass when I see it.”

He Tian exhaled another cloud of smoke in the form of a sigh. “What do you know about Mo Guan Shan?”

Jin Yi leaned in and dropped his voice, glee rolling off him in waves. “He went to high school with Zhang Xixi and they met by chance the other day. He works at the Blue Crow as a bartender. He’s been involved with vampires for a long time but only recently became a participant.

“She Li brought him on simply because other vampires coveted him so much. And Guan Shan agreed because She Li has connections that could get his step-dad out of jail. Grey told me you two hit it off. We got to talking about it all when he dropped off the last shipment. So I did some snooping– “

He Tian rolled his eyes in mock annoyance “Of course you did.”

“Well, I did some snooping and found out that other stuff, but the thing you’ll probably most be interested in–”

Jin Yi stopped abruptly, his gaze shifting to someone behind He Tian.

“What a good site, to see old friends catching up.” As if on bad cue, She Li walked up, open armed with a cigar in one hand and drink in the other.

He must have known, by the annoyance rolling off both Jin Yi and He Tian, that he wasn’t welcome, but he pushed on anyways.

“Sons of the three most powerful vampire families in Beijing, all gathered under one roof. It’s been too long.”

He Tian smiled despite the clash of emotions. She Li was exuding confidence and something else. It was like happiness but not quite as pure.

He Tian raised his glass “To family.” The three of them raised, clinked, and drank.

They set down their glasses. Conversation flowed around them.

“So,” She Li’s eyes flicked to Jin Yi’s, “How’s that cop boyfriend of yours?” Jin Yi tensed, and He Tian felt waves of distrust and fierce protection.

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Lover then.”

“We’re just close. You know how it is for us, one day, he’ll pass.”

Jin Yi’s words were stable but there was a wobble in his feelings, a tinge of swallowing sadness and despair.

He Tian changed the topic. “So what entertainment do you have planned for us, She Li? Your family always knows how to throw a party.”

She Li grinned. “Music, dancing, the usual.”

He Tian swirled what was the left of his drink. “The usual?”

She Li shrugged. “Tastings and such. Some lovely participants have been brought in just for this.”

He Tian snubbed out his cigarette “I’m sure it will be a success, as usual.” He turned to Jin Yi, “I’m in need of a refill, Jin Yi, would you like to join me?”

Jin Yi stepped forward and casually linked arms with He Tian.

“Good talking to you both, don’t be strangers tonight. Everyone’s so glad you’re here,” She Li purred. He Tian and Jin Yi nodded as they walked by.

He Tian took them past the bar and out of the room, out of She Li’s gaze. Jin Yi followed and they made a round of the mansion, arm in arm.

“Any news on the murders?”

Jin Yi shook his head. His eyes fixed on a pair of dancers gracefully twirling around the ballroom. “No leads and they’re about to be written off. It makes no sense. It’s definitely vampire related. Even though there are no markings on the bodies, no bites. But they were done in areas of vampire activity.” He turned to look at He Tian. “You know, areas where our more, ah, illegal activities take place.”

They were in a smaller room now, off the ballroom. It was quiet, one of those eddies of calm that appear at parties in one room for no particular reason.

He Tian unhooked his arm from Jin Yi and approached the bar. He looked at his watch. It was getting late. Jin Yi noticed to, feeling a change in the music, the lighting, the aura of the party.

“It’s about that time isn’t it?”

As Jin Yi spoke, they smelled it; tangy, sweet, rich and tempting. Blood.

“Are you tasting anyone tonight?”

He Tian shrugged. “I’m happy with my participants. I don’t have a need for any new ones. How about you?”

Jin Yi rolled his eyes. “You know I don’t do that anymore.”

“Jin Yi, it’s not healthy to abstain like this.” 

Jin Yi’s eyes narrowed. “I really don’t want to talk about this. I’ve lost my appetite for it and I’m doing fine– He Tian?”

He Tian smelled it. The overwhelming scent. They were tasting him. His ears started ringing. He set his drink down, not hearing anything Jin Yi was saying, and found his way to the source of the scent.

Upstairs, in a string of sitting rooms, participants and vampires melded together under dim light. They were all sharing in and enjoying the feelings of lust and bloodlust. Bodies moved under dim lights. Large bouncer-like men and women stood in the shadows, quietly keeping an eye on the participants.

He Tian found him on a couch, a vampire at each wrist, another one in his lap greedily drinking from his neck, and a fourth behind the couch, stooped to drink from the other side of his neck.

They weren’t so gone to bloodlust that they forgot their manners. When they noticed He Tian walking towards them, they stopped drinking in deference to his family name and moved on elsewhere, slinking quietly into the dimness.

Guan Shan opened his eyes, focusing hazily on He Tian. “You.” He was relaxed from so many bites, his system flooded with euphoria, the natural effect of a vampire bite times four. He Tian was succumbing to the waves of it washing around him and rolling off Guan Shan.

He took an unsteady breath, walked forward, and kneeled on the couch, straddling Guan Shan and looking down into those intense eyes. He slid a hand through soft red hair, supporting the back of Guan Shan’s head. He suddenly didn’t know what to do. His head was too fuzzy, the atmosphere clouding his ability to think, heart racing. The scent of Guan Shan everywhere. He wanted to taste him, so badly, and here he was, open and for the taking.

Blood stained Guan Shan’s shirt, a black button up that was unbuttoned, the sleeves shoved up. It looked like they were in the process of taking it off before He Tian walked up. A discarded suit jacket lay nearby.

Guan Shan held up a wrist. “Well, taste me.”

He Tian laced his fingers in Guan Shan’s and pinned his hand against the couch. “Can I kiss you?”

Guan Shan laughed softly, “I’m bleeding out on a couch, surrounded by vampires that want to drink from me, and you want a kiss?”

“Yes.”

Guan Shan spoke softly, their faces were inches from each other. “What a freak.”

If he hadn’t been thinking clearly before, He Tian was totally lost now. Guan Shan tasted so good. And the feeling was reciprocated, he could feel sparks of pleasure and surprise emanating off him. The kiss deepened, tongues lazily tasting, teeth grazing lips and heartbeats fluttering.

He Tian opened a connection and Guan Shan gasped. The energy between them shifted, driving towards something more than kissing. Hands started to roam. He Tian slipped his free hand inside the redhead’s open shirt, palming soft skin, firm muscle and something, wet.

He broke the kiss. Guan Shan made a sound of annoyance. He Tian clambered off him and looked up at the bouncers. “Get him out of here.”

“He Tian!” Jin Yi grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from Guan Shan. Other vampires were already closing in, eager for their turn. He Tian tugged against Jin Yi’s grasp. “He needs to go–”

“He’ll be fine, they’ll take care of him. Let’s get you out of here. God, you’ve got his blood all over your clothes. I have some old clothes in the back of my car. Come on, let’s get you outside.”

He Tian let Jin Yi drag him out of the mansion into fresh air. He felt like he was thrumming. That wonderful smell was less intense outside, tempered by crisp winter air. He Tian’s breath streamed out in a cloud. He stood, hands on hips, with his head tipped back and eyes closed, remembering the feeling of warm lips on his.

He opened his eyes to see Jin Yi watching him.

“You’re so fucked.”

He Tian snorted, “I know. Jin Yi, what do I do?”

Jin Yi led He Tian to his car, pulling out a hoodie and sweatpants from a pile of junk in the back and then loosening He Tian’s tie. “We get you into a hot shower, then we turn on Netflix and figure out a way for you to see him again. Because when I walked up, the energy between you two was intense. Your connection with him was starting to send the rest of the room into a frenzy.” 

Jin Yi pulled a handkerchief from his lapel pocket and wiped He Tian’s hands off. “Oh, and I never got to tell you the most interesting thing I found out about him.”

He Tian looked in his friend’s eyes and was grateful for having such a snoop in his life. “What’s that?”

Jin Yi smiled “He’s not one of She Li’s favorites. Actually, the two seem like a bad match. She Li keeps him around for events like this. And he’s single– hasn’t had a relationship in awhile. Oh, and he’s gay, if you couldn’t tell.”

He Tian felt his heart beat a little harder. He might not be able to drink from the red head, but…

HE CHENG

God, blood on his shoes again? He Cheng looked at the dark spots on his brown dress shoes. The drugged out dealer on his floor was bleeding a lot for a few simple kicks. A tooth lay a few feet away where it had skittered to. The man lay, prostrate, on the floor, clutching his face and whimpering. He Cheng studied his nails.

“You going to keep getting high from the supply I give you to sell?”

“No sir,” the man whimpered it out.

He Cheng sighed. This one had been so promising, pushing big shipments through the city cleanly. But he started using, and when they started using, they started slipping.

“You gonna get clean?”

The man whimpered again. “Yes sir.”

He Cheng wanted to kick him again for that. He was lying. That man had no intention of getting clean. He was just scared. He’d clean up his act for a little bit. Probably long enough to push a week and halfs worth of product.

He Cheng grabbed a fist full of the man’s shirt and dragged him from the floor. The man sobbed, spit stringing from his mouth. “I’m giving you one more chance. Don’t let this happen again. It’s tough enough with the murders. I don’t need any other fuck-ups.” The man’s pupils were pinpricks. He was high right now, coming down, but high. He Cheng wondered how much he could actually feel. It was probably just instinct that made him so fearful. He Cheng released his shirt before he could answer. The man fell heavily, his head snapping back against the hardwood floors of He Cheng’s office.

He Cheng turned to look out the floor to ceiling windows. He was suddenly tired. “Get out.”

He heard scrambling and then the heavy click of his door. He reached for a cigarette. He had been putting off calling his little brother all day. He lit it and took a deep drag.

He Cheng wasn’t fond of what heroin did. Like most drugs, it affected the poor the worst. It was something people couldn’t stop. It soured blood and made its victim’s eyes blank. Empty bodies. They might as well be bloodless, soulless. Hearts barely pumping blood, bodies no longer craving life.

But he had seen so many people die in his long lifetime. They all passed, the quality of lives they led was random at best, divvied out with a cruel sense of humor at worst. What did it matter to him if one died from drugs and another died from something else? It was death either way.

And it’s not like vampires were left with much in the way of legitimate jobs. Pretty much everywhere barred vampires from being hired. Bloodsuckers were too much of a liability. It had been that way through all of the history He Cheng had lived through.

Vampires weren’t welcome.

His kind had always seeked out shady forms of survival, forced into the dark side of life whether or not they wanted to.

He Cheng snubbed out his cigarette. It was raining hard outside. A good a time as any for this. He fit his wireless earbuds in his ears.

“Hey little brother.” He Tian replied with a snarky retort. His little brother was never happy to talk to him.

“So you want to run the Blue Crow? It is owned by us, you’re right, but the She’s use it too. There’s a lot of uncomfortable negotiating I’ll have to go through. So, before I do this, I’m curious about why you’re suddenly so set on running the Blue Crow?” His little brother was bored. This latest endeavor probably had to do with something He Tian found interesting rather than something that was good for business. 

“A new business idea? He Tian, you do know that bars have been around for hundreds for years, right? Uh-huh. Well, I’ll do what I can to get it under your direct control for a year. You owe me though.” He Cheng paused and took a deep breath. “How uh, how’ve you been? That’s good. I’ll see you around He Tian.”

He Cheng hung up. He Tian hated his guts, but He Cheng knew it was the feeling of dependence he hated. He Tian would work in the blood trade and clean dirty money, but he kept as far as he could from drugs. He Cheng couldn’t begrudge him too much for that. Drugs were a dirty business, more so than their other work.

He Cheng turned from the window, spattered with cold rain, and tossed his earbuds onto his desk. The She family was on the move, planning something, although He Cheng didn’t yet know what. He remembered his last encounter with the youngest son, She Li. The memory flashed, vivid; the sole of He Cheng’s dress shoes pressed against She Li’s cheek, She Li on his back on the ground looking up as though for all the world he enjoyed it.

He Cheng should pay him another visit.

GUAN SHAN

Guan Shan dunked his hands into hot water, pulling out bar glasses and dunking them into the sanitizer water and then into the final rinse before setting them out to dry. Coltrane played quietly in the background and two patrons sat at the bar, both drinking away government support checks. He’d get a few more regulars like them in the next day or two as the rest of the support checks from the first of the month came in. The local drunks always gave him a small boost in tips at the beginning of the month.

He hummed to the tune, letting his mind lose itself in the work of keeping this crappy place clean and running. He didn’t want to think about the weird texts he had received from She Li this morning.

The Blue Crow is under new ownership.   
I’ll still do business there and your job is secure.   
I’ve taken all important documents.   
New Management will be in some time today give them the keys and any paperwork they ask for.   
Your schedule will be determined by the new management.  
Send me your schedule as soon as you get it.

The door opened and he heard two pairs of footsteps. It was the telltale tap of dress shoes. Guan Shan guessed it was She Li’s goons. He dunked two more glasses in hot water and was about to ask what they’d like when he heard a silky deep voice that sent a shiver strait to his core.

“I was hoping I’d see you.”

A ricochet of conflicting emotions bounced around Guan Shan. His pulse spiked, his heart hammering in his chest. He finished cleaning off the glasses, wiped his hands on a towel and looked up.

God, he was beautiful. Tall, dark, handsome and downright predatory. Guan Shan wanted to kick himself. He Tian was his type, to the letter. He couldn’t deny it, but he sure as hell was going to try.

He Tian smiled. He looked like he wanted to devour Guan Shan whole. Guan Shan shivered.

“I’d like the nicest whiskey you have, please, on the rocks.”

Guan Shan turned to pour the drink. He could feel He Tian’s gaze burning a hole into the space between his shoulder blades. 

He set the drink down as the second vampire finally walked up, looking around at everything like he was thinking about buying the place.

“Oh He Tian, this place could be really nice! We could keep the small intimate feel but theme it around an American speakeasy.” The vampire finally turned his gaze to Guan Shan and the bar. Guan Shan recognized him, he was the one that led He Tian out that night.

“You must be Mo Guan Shan. I’m Jin Yi.” Jin Yi held out his hand over the bar. Guan Shan shook it, clearly confused.

He Tian took a sip of whiskey, “God, this is practically rail. Well, we’ll start with the liquor.” His dark eyes locked with Guan Shan’s, “I’m the owner of this fine establishment. It’s fallen into disrepair lately, so I’m here to give it a facelift.”

Guan Shan looked between He Tian and Jin Yi. This could not be true. Of all people, of all vampires, He Tian was the last person he wanted as a boss.

Guan Shan stared dumbfounded at He Tian, processing what all it meant to have him as his boss.

“If you two are done, I’ll take a glass of your driest red.” Guan Shan ripped his gaze from He Tian and looked at Jin Yi. Jin Yi was smirking. Guan Shan felt heat rise to cheeks. He hadn’t even done anything but he was embarrassed. And he knew they both felt it with their freaky-ass vampire ability to feel the emotions around them.

“You don’t want that. All of our wines will give you a headache. The reds especially. Most of them have cork rot.”

Jin Yi grimace, “Gin and tonic then.” Guan Shan turned to make the drink, feeling uneasy about something. Not them being here, or the Hes owning the building. There was something else. He set the finished drink down and could see He Tian watching him out of the corner of his eye. Oh shit.

“So you, you make my schedule and whatnot now, right?”

He Tian had that hungry look. “I do.” He leaned in and practically purred “I’d love to get to know you better, your managing style, what your customers are like, the direction you think this place should go.”

My ass, Guan Shan thought. This was going nowhere but to their obvious attraction. He took a deep breath.

“What’s this?” Jin Yi had wandered away from the bar and was pointing at the wet-vac in the corner.

“The plumming’s shit, I use that thing to clean up– don’t lean on that table, it’s broken.” Guan Shan strode over to prop up the precariously leaning tabletop.

“God, and what’s with this tile? It looks like it’s been stained yellow.” Jin Yi looked at the floor with a curled lip

“That’s from the fluorescent lights. I wouldn’t sit in that booth, you’ll get cigarette ash on your suit.”

Jin Yi turned towards Guan Shan, his bright eyes and megawatt smile catching Guan Shan off guard. What is he so happy about?

“You know a lot about this place Guan Shan.”

Guan Shan snorted. “I hope I do. I’ve worked here since my freshman year of highschool– He Tian put that bottle down.”

He Tian froze, curled over the bar, bottle of whiskey in hand.

“But, I own this place.”

Guan Shan sighed. He was working with two idiots. He strode over to the bar, taking the bottle of whiskey out of He Tian’s hands and ignoring the jolt of a spark he felt when their hands glided over one-another. He poured He Tian a fresh drink and then turned his attention to the two regulars that had been uneasily quiet, watching the vampires and Guan Shan. He opened new beers, poured fresh water, and asked about their lives, chatting with them about work and home and shitty circumstances that never seemed to change. He could feel He Tian’s eyes on him the entire time. That feeling was unsettling. But at least here he was confident. He knew his job and he knew he was good at his job. The only way He Tian could take that away from him would be to fire him, but he had an inkling that wouldn’t happen.

Jin Yi settled in next to He Tian at the bar, chatting happily about something. The place was quiet and things were going well. Even the regulars had calmed to the vampire’s sudden appearance. Guan Shan turned his attention to the tiny tv mounted behind the bar when he heard the slam of the side door and the slap of nice athletic shoes.

He let out a small groan, now of all times? He Tian looked like he was about to say something when the source of the racket stepped around the bar and grabbed Mo Guan Shan by the shoulders.

“Did you get those weird texts today? Holy fuck, I still hope I have a job after this.”

Guan Shan locked eyes with his coworker, Hui Yin, praying to god she would play along. “I did. Hui Yin, this is our new boss,” Guan Shan motioned towards the vampires, “He Tian. He Tian, this is the second in command here, Hui Yin.”

Hui Yin’s warm brown eyes went large. She looked confused for only a second before turning and offering her hand to He Tian.

“It’s so good to meet the He Tian.” 

Fuck, Hui Yin, no. 

He Tian’s goddamn perfect eyebrows shot up at Hui Yin comment. “The He Tian?”

Hui Yinn snorted and Guan Shan felt himself go red. He busied himself with the glassware.

“I’ve heard all about you, I’m surprised to see you here though.”

He Tian leaned in, looking utterly pleased. “You’ve heard about me?”

Hui Yin smiled. Guan Shan knew that smile. She loved stringing along men. It was a game to her. A somewhat cruel, sometimes hilarious, always entertaining game. Usually, all she had to contend with were old men at the bar and and young dumb flirts that completely underestimated her. He Tian was neither of those. His entire demeanor screamed “I will bend you over and screw your brains out and you will love every second of it.” Guan Shan didn’t doubt that He Tian could back that persona up. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about the kiss on the couch, especially late at night…

“Guan Shan?”

Guan Shan snapped to. Hui Yin had situated herself between He Tian and Jin Yi with a beer in her hands. He Tian looked amused and Jin Yi looked entirely nonplussed.

“What’cha thinking about Red? You zoned out there.”

“Red?” He Tian turned his full attention to Hui Yin. Hui Yin nearly lost her train of thought, she wasn’t as use to vampires as Guan Shan was. But she was a quick study.

“Yeah, you know, a riff off ‘redhead’. Although, sometimes I call him Mr. Orange.” Hui Yin took a sip of her beer.

He Tian’s full attention was still on Hui Yin. She was doing well.

“And why do you call him that?”

“From Reservoir Dogs. The movie about a bungled robbery where all of the characters know that someone’s a mole. But none of them know the other’s real names. They all go by colors. Mr. White, Mr. Pink,” she pointed at Guan Shan “Mr. Orange.”

Jin Yi swirled his drink. “I’ve seen that one.” Jin Yi huffed out a laugh, remembering, “Doesn’t it end badly for them all?”

Hui Yin shrugged. “Never really saw the movie.”

Jin Yi laughed and then an uncomfortable silence hung. Guan Shan pointed at Hui Yin’s drink “That’s coming out of your paycheck.”

She put the bottle up to her lips, then paused and shrugged, “I know.”

“Put it on my tab.” Guan Shan resisted shivering. He Tian’s deep voice had an effect on him that he’d rather not think about.

“Well in that case, how about a round of shots to celebrate new owners?”

Guan Shan could punch Hui Yin. No, girl. Shots are the last thing we need in the middle of a sleepy Tuesday. But the vampires thought Tuesday mid afternoon shots were fucking genius.

Guan Shan poured the best liquor they had, Titos vodka, into four shot glasses. They clinked, “To the Blue Crow!” tapped the bottom of their glasses on the bar, lifted the stringent drink to their lips and drank.

Titos might be nice(ish) vodka, it was still vodka and it was still terrible.

To all of their credit, none of them coughed. Guan Shan and Hui Yin took it like a champ, use to shitty alcohol. He Tian was too stubborn to show that he didn’t like it. Jin Yi pressed the back of his hand to his mouth.

“God. That’s terrible.”

Guan Shan could already feel the effects of the shot. He hadn’t eaten much. Pure vodka on an almost empty stomach was a dangerous combination. He felt looser and ready to say whatever he felt.

“He Tian, you can follow me to the office if you want the paperwork.” It was an innocent enough request executed flawlessly. They did all the right motions to make it seem normal. But all four of them knew something knew some other current was running. A deeper current, sparking between Guan Shan and He Tian.

Guan Shan almost didn’t care.

The door shut behind them and they were in Guan Shan’s office. Alone. God, he could feel it then. The prickling along his scalp, a hyper aware tingling in his palms, a suppressed shiver that threatened to escape and shake his entire being. He leaned over the desk a little more than he had to, reaching for the weekly schedule and keys, glad he had decided to wear fitted jeans and a clingy shirt.

Unsure about what the hell his intentions with He Tian were, he decided to slip into manager mode, going over everything He Tian needed to know. He covered every point, from the way the front door lock had to be jiggled to open, to alcohol delivery information. He knew how to do his job and that was calming. It helped take his mind off the closeness of their bodies, off He Tian’s intense gaze, off his conflicting emotions, bouncing around between being incredibly turned on and entirely too suspicious of He Tian.

“So, do you have any questions or is there anything I didn’t cover?”

He Tian’s hand lightly rested on the small of Guan Shan’s back. They were leaning on Guan Shan’s desk, close together.

“Do I make you nervous?”

So many answers flew through Guan Shan’s head.

“I meant questions about the Blue Crow, He Tian.”

He Tian pouted, “So professional.”

“Yeah well, it’s not like the last owner did much in the way of keeping this place going.”

“You mean She Li.”

Guan Shan exhaled, “I’m not sure what I can tell you.” Guan Shan had been avoiding direct eye-contact, He Tian’s gaze was downright unsettling. Those grey eyes were somehow both calculating and warm, fake but something else too. Curious? Intrigued? Whatever it was, Guan Shan felt it wouldn’t last. He Tian’s interest in Guan Shan was nothing more than a passing intrigue.

Guan Shan took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was going to say next. He was suddenly glad he had taken a shot. “About the other night,”

“You mean when we made out on a couch in front of a bunch of vampires and nearly sent the room into a frenzy?”

“Yes, that– what?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” He Tian had a triumphant smirk on his face that Guan Shan reallyyy wanted to smack right off. “The energy during our short little joining amped up the rest of the room. Which, how are you feeling by the way?”

“I’m fine. I was just saying,” god, what had he been saying? “I wasn’t quite in my right mind, I guess, so that wasn’t, that wasn’t really me.” he finished lamely.

He Tian raised an eyebrow. “Ok.”

“Ok.” Guan Shan felt himself internally cringe. Why couldn’t he be suave and confident? All he had was curse words rudeness.

He Tian motioned at the door, “Shall we?”

Guan Shan nodded and led them out.

HE TIAN

“You two were in that office a long time.”

Jin Yi was giving He Tian “the look.” The raised eyebrows, smirking, ‘did-you-make-out-with-that-cute-redhead-that-you’re-obsessed-with’ look.

“Nothing happened.” He Tian guided the car smoothly through traffic. Jin Yi had insisted on tagging along to the Blue Crow and, part-way there, made the announcement that he was going to be the interior designer. He Tian was annoyed at first but once they were in and it was apparent that the place was dead, he glad that Jin Yi had decided to come along.

“Well, with the energy between you two, it won’t be long.”

He Tian sighed, “He’s stubborn. And I have to respect him. Although that’s really difficult when I can feel his attraction.”

Jin Yi laughed “You always pick the difficult ones.”

His friend wasn’t wrong. He Tian sighed. These next few weeks would be the most maddening weeks of his life, wouldn’t they?


	4. Blood Sings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A self-indulgent tale of a smitten Vampire. Underworld elements. Kudos to you if you've stuck with this mess.

ZHANG XIXI

Zhang Xixi stared at the pile of paperwork in front of him and sighed. The normal commotion of the police station surrounded him; the clatter of keyboards and phones ringing, people chatting and petty criminals giving their statements and passing time in the holding cell. He was use to it but today, he couldn’t concentrate.

The murders were still unsolved, his casework was piling up, and his boss was breathing down his neck for results. Zhang Xixi picked up a photo of one of the crime scenes again. The last lead they had was weeks old now.

He rubbed his temples. He had avoided asking Jin Yi for help. He knew it put Jin Yi in danger, not that Jin Yi cared. Early on, Zhang Xixi had tried to cut their relationship, afraid that Jin Yi would be cast out by the other vampires or worse. It was a disastrous move, leaving both of them in a deep depression for weeks.

Their current relationship worked. Although, Zhang Xixi knew, both of them hoped against hope for more.

He didn’t think Jin Yi would have any new leads, but talking to him might help.

Hey

Hey!

You want to grab a drink?

Well what a coincidence, I’m at the Blue Crow. Come over! We just installed new shelfs behind the bar.   
image

Zhang Xixi opened the image. Jin Yi’s face beamed in the foreground. Guan Shan and Hui Yin were in the background working on something.

Omw

R&B played loud enough to hear outside the Blue Crow. The open sign was off but the front door was unlocked. Zhang Xixi walked in. His eyes went right to Jin Yi. He practically glowed he was so beautiful. He was dancing in his seat to the song and laughing at something Hui Yin had said. Zhang Xixi watched for a moment. He was stunning, long silvery hair in a messy bun, a fitted suit following the long, lean lines of his body, a pop of yellow color from the kerchief in his suit pocket.

Jin Yi finally noticed his gaze and his face somehow lit up even more. “Zhang Xixi! You made it! Drinks on me, what would you like?”

“Just a beer.” Zhang Xixi sat next to Jin Yi.

“How’s work?”

Zhang Xixi shrugged. “Not a lot is happening.” Guan Shan set a beer in front of him. The red head always tensed up around Zhang Xixi. He didn’t blame him. It was obvious he was a participant. The marks of vampire bites healed almost completely. Almost.

Guan Shan didn’t seem to mind the outsider status. It made sense. Red head. Bright and easy to pick a fight with.

“The bar looks good.” Zhang Xixi motioned at the new shelves. Guan Shan and Hui Yin were stocking the sleek setup. The entire place had a facelift. It retained the feel of a dive bar but miraculously felt like the kind of place where you could spend ten dollars on a cocktail.

Jin Yi beamed “We’re just about ready for our grand reopening.”

The place smelled like paint and plaster.

Zhang Xixi leaned in towards Jin Yi to be heard over the music. “So He Tian’s really gotten into real estate.”

Jin Yi snorted and took a sip of his drink. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

The music stopped suddenly. Guan Shan had disconnected his phone. “I’m out,” he slung his backpack over his shoulder. “You good to lock up Hui Yin?” Hui Yin gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

“Cool, see you all later.” Guan Shan gave a general wave and left out the back. Zhang Xixi could hear his motorbike start up, rev, and then peel out.

The sudden quiet was a little jarring.

Jin Yi went to say something but stopped when his phone went off. “I gotta take this, I’ll be back.” He answered the call and slipped into the gentle lilt of a foreign language, his sweet, happy-go-lucky demeanor vanishing as he strode for the door.

Hui Yin connected her phone to the sound system and started thumbing through songs. “Yeash, vampires are all so mysterious all the time, I don’t know how Guan Shan deals with it.”

Zhang Xixi smiled, thinking about the snappy red head. “He doesn’t take them seriously. I think they like that. Where’s He Tian?”

Hui Yin shrugged “Off doing mysterious vampire work. Honestly, it’s nice not to have him around. He and Guan Shan have been flirt-fighting for weeks now. They just need to bang it out already. As much as I love gossip and drama, I don’t need them arguing and hurling thinly veiled innuendos at each other during our grand reopening.” She paused and took a sip of her drink. “Really thinly veiled, Zhang Xixi.”

Zhang Xixi smiled. “Guan Shan doesn’t hesitate to say what’s on his mind or fling himself headfirst into things, but he’s actually pretty quiet and thoughtful.” Hui Yin leaned in, all ears. “We became kind of good friends in high school. He was always getting into fights and getting the crap beat out of him.”

Hui Yin rolled her eyes. “He still does that.”

“But, he was always self-sufficient. He refused to accept help from others, he kept his private life so private, I’m not sure any of his friends knew what he did outside of school. And after graduation, he just kind of disappeared. My best guess is that if he recognizes at all that he likes He Tian, even a little, he’s going to resist that feeling to his dying breath.”

Hui Yin’s eyes were huge. “Wait, you think he actually likes He Tian? Like, has a crush on him? I thought is was just sexual tension.”

“Well, they kissed–” 

“They kissed?” Her voice notched up two octaves.

“I guess you didn’t know.”

Hui Yin opened her mouth to say something else when the door opened. Jin Yi walked in, looking stressed. Zhang Xixi’s heart rate picked up. Jin Yi kept the mob boss side of himself far away from their relationship. It had taken over a year of being together for Zhang Xixi to see just how terrifying the beautiful blonde could be. And this look, this gorgeous yet annoyed look, meant something was wrong.

Jin Yi sat down and smiled weakly at them both. “You’ll find out from tomorrow’s paper, so I’ll just tell you now. A large group of men associated with She Li were arrested earlier today. They were smuggling narcotics. Most of them are small fry, nothing to worry about. But one of them is a high enough rank to know some juicy, underworld information that your kind would like to find out.” Jin Yi motioned at Zhang Xixi. “Which still honestly wouldn’t be that big of a problem except Guan Shan went and got himself involved.” Jin Yi took a long swig of his drink then continued. “And that means He Tian is about to be involved. Which means, you guessed it, I’m involved.”

“Let me know how I can help.”

Jin Yi let out a little laugh, but his look was dark “Oh no handsome, this is strictly vampire business, and I’m not letting you get mixed up in the crossfire.”

JIN YI

Jin Yi reached blindly into his fridge, his cell phone sandwiched between his shoulder and his ear, the dial tone ringing. 

“Come on pick up, pick up,” Jin Yi mumbled to himself, willing the call to go through. He finally grabbed what he was reaching for in the fridge, the rubbery liquid feeling of a blood bag tight between his fingers. He pulled it out as the call went to voicemail. He cursed and hung up, tossing the phone down onto the counter, ripping the blood bag open with his teeth. He leaned against the counter and took a long draught.

He had hoped Zhang Xixi would come home with him tonight. He wanted to lay in bed and watch movies, trace his fingers over every bone and muscle, soft skin and softer hair, mapping every inch of his lover. 

But leave it to She Li to mess that up.

Jin Yi drank again, letting the cool liquid diffuse throughout his system, making him feel alive and awake. He picked up his phone and dialed the number again. It went to voicemail. “Hey, He Tian. It’s me. Give me a call back. We need to think over this. If we just go rushing in, we’ll make things worse. Talk to you later.”

He hung up and tossed the used blood bag into the sink.

GUAN SHAN

The words coming out of She Li’s mouth weren’t fitting into place. They weren’t processing. They weren’t real, were they? He had known this was a possibility. But the thought was always in the back of his mind, it was something abstract, something that happened to someone else, not him.

She Li was looking at his nails. A few of his men stood behind him. “So that’s about it. You’ll go to work at the Blue Crow tomorrow like normal, some cops will come in to arrest you based on a tip-off one of my captured men gave. You’ll admit to some minor smuggling charges and feed them the information I just gave you.”

“You want me to go to jail so someone else can go free.” The words came out flat.

“Only for a little bit.”

“They’ll never believe I’m worth it. I only have a few minor misdemeanors.”

She Li looked up from his nails “And what do men in powerful places get their charges knocked down to? A few minor misdemeanors. Plus, they don’t care if it’s likely or not, they just want to make arrests. Really, with your track record, I’m surprised you’ve avoided jail this long–”

Against all good judgment, Guan Shan swung at She Li. Strong arms gripped him before he got close, pinning his arms behind his back.

She Li stepped close “Typical. Always trying to fight whatever you can’t outsmart.” He pressed in closer, his face inches from Guan Shan’s. “And I would do exactly as I’ve said, if I were you. You don’t want anything to befall your sweet mother while you’re away.”

Guan Shan thrashed against the other vampires’ grip. “Fuck you She Li.”

She Li laughed “Let him go, we have to say our goodbyes.” No sooner was Guan Shan released from one grip then he found himself in another. She Li’s hand around his throat and his wrist twisted viciously in She Li’s grip. “How about one last taste?” Guan Shan thrashed again to no avail. He ignored the piercing pain in his neck but knew better than to fight now. One wrong move and She Li would nic something major.

The endorphin rush followed the bite quickly, Guan Shan breathed in a deep breath, steading himself against the heady effects.

She Li’s hair tickled his chin. He could smell his aftershave and shampoo, something rich and overly strong. She Li shifted his weight, supporting Guan Shan as he started to go slack. She Li’s tongue lapped against him, mouth and teeth working at Guan Shan’s throat, coaxing blood without hitting a major vein.

Suddenly there, clear as day, was He Tian. By some trick of his mind he was flooded with thoughts of He Tian. He Tian’s breath close against his neck as he asked a question. He Tian’s hands innocently steadying Guan Shan. He Tian’s gaze cutting across the room and landing on him.

Guan Shan pushed the memories down. He didn’t want to think about the little thrill he felt every time He Tian was near. Why am I thinking about him now?

HE TIAN

He Tian pinched the bridge of his nose and paced again in front of his windows. He wanted to storm into She Li’s mansion and throttle him until he fixed this. All this for a delinquent red head you barely know. He could still hear his brother’s disapproving tone. Now he was patiently listening to Jin Yi over the phone. His friend had convinced him to turn his car around and go back to his apartment to think things through.

He Tian wanted to barge into She Li’s mansion and rip that scheming snake’s throat out. But even that wouldn’t keep Guan Shan out of jail. Things were in motion. And the only person that might have the connections he needed, well, All this for a delinquent red head you barely know.

GUAN SHAN

“Jeez Guan Shan, you look like you didn’t sleep at all. Something happen?” Of course Hui Yin would instantly notice that something was wrong.

“I’m fine. We have to set up the kegerators today and I need to go over some applications for bouncers.” Guan Shan did his best to look nonchalant as he walked back to the offices. He took a deep breath when the door clicked shut behind him, trying his best not to panic. He wanted to curl up. His stomach felt sour and his hands shook. But what could he do? There was no one to turn to.

The day passed in a blurr. He thought about calling his mom about hundred times. They arrived sometime after lunch. Six cops let themselves into the Blue Crow and asked for Guan Shan. 

Six? That’s a bit overkill, isn’t it? “I’m Guan Shan. What do you want?”

“You’re being arrested in connection to a narcotics smuggling ring.” The cop’s words seemed to come from far away. Guan Shan didn’t hear whatever else he had to say. Hui Yin looked panicked.

“Guan Shan? What’s going on?”

“Can you keep an eye on my mom?”

“But, you didn’t do anything.” Hui Yin’s eye’s were beginning to fill with tears.

Don’t cry.

With his hands in tight cuffs behind his back, the group started to walk him towards the cars waiting outside.

“Hold it,” Guan Shan started. It was the deep sound of a familiar voice. He Tian? “The warrant for his arrest has been called off.” 

No, not He Tian, the man who had walked in looked strikingly like him but was taller and larger with a bulkier build. The cops hesitated but looked at the papers held out towards them.

No sooner had he been put in handcuffs than he was out. Guan Shan rubbed his wrists, dumbfounded as the cops left.

The vampire, He Tian’s lookalike, looked him up and down with a cold, impassive stare. “I would lay low for awhile.” It was the only words he said before he turned and left. It was as if the entire scene had never happened. Silence hung for a minute.

“Guan Shan, what the fuck.” Hui Yin’s eyes were red and large as saucers.

“I don’t really know.” Guan Shan’s phone buzzed. A message from She Li. You’re lucky.

Guan Shan clicked on He Tian’s name and tapped out a message.

You did this didn’t you?

You’re going to have to be a little more specific, gorgeous.

Can we talk?

Sure, you can come over to my place.

Guan Shan had rehearsed what he was going to say on the drive over but his carefully prepared words left his mind when He Tian opened the door. The vampire looked exhausted. Deep shadows cut across his face. His eyes looked tired. He still smiled his usual fake smile. This time though, it didn’t quite reach his cheeks.

“It’s good to see you.”

Guan Shan walked into the apartment but didn’t take off his backpack or set down his motorcycle helmet.

“You can come all the way inside, I don’t bite.” He Tian smiled but the joke felt hollow. He reached for Guan Shan’s helmet but Guan Shan back peddled, finally clear on what he came over here to do. He took a deep breath.

“I quit. I can’t work at the Blue Crow anymore. I’ll stay for two weeks so you have time to find a new manager but that’s it. I should have just called you, sorry.” Guan Shan turned to go but He Tian caught his wrist.

“Wait, I don’t, I don’t understand.” The normally deep silky voice was husky with some emotion.

Guan Shan sighed, “What happened today, that was you, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you’re–”

“Yes. You do.” Guan Shan felt himself getting angry. “You do know. I don’t know why you did it, but you shouldn’t have. I’m just going to bring more trouble to you and the Blue Crow. I’ll find some other work to do.”

He Tian’s jaw tensed. He still hadn’t let go of Guan Shan’s wrist. “You’re saying I should have let you go to jail, on false accusation, even though I could stop it?” 

“Yes. I didn’t ask for your help.”

“That’s not how help works, Guan Shan.”

“Well your help has gone and put you in the sites of a maniac, a vampire who is not pleased when things don’t go his way.

“I won’t let him mess with you,”

“Don’t promise me that. I work for him and I’m not going to stop working for him.” 

“Why?”

“You know why!” They were facing each other now, squared off and eye-to-eye, voices raised. Guan Shan was scowling but He Tian was unreadable.

“There are other ways.”

“For you there might be, but She Li is the best chance I have of getting my dad out of jail.”

“God you’re so stubborn.” He Tian finally released Guan Shan’s wrist. “I know you look at me when you think I won’t notice.”

Guan Shan felt himself blush, hard, “I don’t see what this has to do with–”

“I know you look at me when you think I won’t notice. I feel what you’re feeling,” He Tian stepped forward and placed a hand on Guan Shan’s chest. Guan Shan felt the light pressure of He Tian’s fingers against his winter jacket. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from He Tian’s, it was like he was locked in a trance.

“I didn’t ask for you to keep tabs on my emotions, thanks.”

He Tian’s voice dropped, “You’re so goddamn stubborn, you won’t let anything change, you won’t let any new possibilities into your life. You’ve chosen your path and you want it to be right so badly that you refuse to see any other opportunities.”

“Fuck you,”

“Oh yeah, fuck me, ok,” He Tian dropped his hand, “fine, you don’t have to put in your two weeks, you can leave now. Hand in your keys and I’ll mail you your last paycheck.”

Despite himself, Guan Shan felt a twinge of sadness, of heartsickness. He ignored it and tried to focus on his anger instead. His anger at the self absorbed, dumbass vampire in front of him. He took out his keys and started unhooking them. 

He Tian shook his head. “God you’re such an idiot.”

“Do you want the keys or not?” Guan Shan felt genuine anger this time.

“What did you actually come over here to say?”

Guan Shan threw his arms up, exasperated, “I don’t know He Tian. I don’t know what you want me to say. But I can’t work for you anymore.” 

“Why not?” 

“To protect you from She Li.”

He Tian froze, mouth open. Whatever answer he was expecting, it wasn’t that. “To protect me?” He Tian huffed out a laugh.

Guan Shan felt himself go red again.

“You think you can stand in the way of She Li?”

“I just want to keep myself from being the reason he comes after you or any of your men. He’s short tempered. And violent.”

“I know.”

Guan Shan could feel He Tian’s gaze on the bandage on this neck, looking at the marks there, the bruises around his neck and his wrists. They stood there for a moment, just staring.

He wasn’t sure who started the kiss but he deepened it, letting his keys and helmet clatter to the floor. His backpack slid off next. He kicked it out of the way as He Tian backed him up against the wall.

He Tian pressed his thigh between Guan Shan’s legs and trailed kisses across his jaw and down his throat. Guan Shan moaned. The contact felt like searing heat. He trailed his fingers over He Tian’s body. The vampire was untouchable in his tight dress clothes. It was maddening.

He Tian slid Guan Shan’s jacket off, pushed his shirt up and froze. Guan Shan opened his eyes to see He Tian staring at his nipple piercings, two gold bars. “You’ve had these this whole time?” 

Guan Shan laughed “I’m surprised you never noticed.” It was all he got out before He Tian leaned down and took one of the piercings in his mouth. Guan Shan gasped and bucked against He Tian.

Fingers ran over the other piercing, teasing and playing with them until Guan Shan thought he was going to lose his mind. He started to grind rhythmically against He Tian. He didn’t care if he looked desperate, he was too fried from everything to think this through.

He Tian reached his free hand down, effortlessly freeing Guan Shan from his jeans and taking him in his hand.

Guan Shan moaned, embarrassingly loud, as He Tian gripped him, circling his thumb over the head.

They were kissing again and He Tian was pushing his full weight against Guan Shan. Every nerve ending was on fire, he felt like a desperate teenager, ready to cum from a little friction. He reached for He Tian, trying to reciprocate at least a little, but He Tian shifted, moving down. Guan Shan was confused for a moment until He Tian sank to his knees.

“You don’t have to–”

“Oh, but I’ve wanted to,”

Guan Shan opened his mouth to protest again but He Tian took him in one long slide. Everything went staticky. Guan Shan bit back noises of pleasure and arched against the wall. He Tian pulled back and kissed him along his length and on his thighs. “It’s ok gorgeous, I want to hear you.”

Guan Shan couldn’t quite process everything. He let out a breathy “fuck” and pushed his palms against the wall, trying to support himself as his legs turned to jelly. He Tian took him in his mouth again and settled into a rhythm. Guan Shan knew he wouldn’t last long. He felt the pressure building deep in his belly. Everything felt hot and urgent.

“Fuck, He Tian, I’m going to–”

He Tian hummed and Guan Shan came, shuddering and panting.

He Tian swallowed and stood, kissing Guan Shan again. Guan Shan could taste himself on He Tian. Fuck, he was hot and he didn’t care that He Tian had the smuggest look. In a gesture that struck him as oddly sweet, He Tian set about fixing his disheveled state. 

“Do you want me to?” He motioned vaguely at He Tian. He was still coming down from the aftershocks when he realized he should probably reciprocate.

He Tian smiled, “No, I’ve just been thinking about doing that to you for awhile now.”

Guan Shan blushed, “Pervert.”

He Tian laughed, “You’ve been through a lot. You look exhausted. Why don’t you go home and rest. You can take tomorrow off work. But don’t quit. Please.”

Guan Shan sighed and set about picking his stuff up. “I’ll take tomorrow off and think about things.” He paused at He Tian’s door, unsure of how to leave.

“Get some rest, you work too much as it is.” He Tian’s gaze ran over the bandage again.

Outside, on his bike, driving home, Guan Shan replayed over and over what just happened. He thought the cold night winter air would clear his mind but his heart thudded hard against his chest. Fuck, I really like that asshole.


	5. Flesh and Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the one about the Vampires. She Li is scum. He Tian is angsty. Some characters have extra pointy teeth.

GREY

Rain spattered against the dark concrete, puddling in cracks and soaking Grey’s shoes. The rain had none of the warmth of spring but this drop-off was somehow colder. Grey pursed his lips, huddling under the awning of a clandestine casino.

He didn’t recognize these men but they had given the correct sign. They were part of the She’s operation. A petal flowed past Grey’s foot, caught in a stream of rainwater. The men had insisted on ripping open the boxes of flowers that the illegal shipments of blood came in and tossing the flowers onto the sidewalk.

“If it’s good, I’ll grab the rest of the boxes.” Grey said in an attempt to hurry this up. He was chilled to the bone.

One of the thugs raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth, telling off Grey for something or other. Grey didn’t really listen. He knew they were all bark. Well, She Li’s men could also be bite, but he had dealt with shady groups enough to know when they were serious and when they just wanted to sound good.

Grey waited patiently, stoney faced.

Finally back in the delivery truck, the drop-off done, Grey cranked the heat and headed back to the flower market. He was glad Guan Shan hadn’t come along this time to make the drop-offs. He would have mouthed off at the guys at the casino, started a scene, possibly gotten himself beat. He actually hadn’t seen the redhead since they made one drop-off together about three weeks ago. Actually for that matter, he hadn’t seen He Tian in awhile either. Maybe Guan Shan did become his participant.

Grey shook himself from his thoughts, guiding the delivery truck into its cramped spot in the back of the flower market. Inside, the market was empty. Grey shuddered at the quiet and dim stillness. Chen, the owner of this stall and the main contact for smuggled blood, wasn’t in the back portion like normal. Grey made his way to the front where the display coolers stood holding the remnants of Valentine’s day flowers. Little paper signs with handwritten prices advertised deep discounts.

“Chen? I’m here to return your truck keys.” Normally she was out back in the truck’s parking spot, smoking, or she was inside yelling in a mixture of Mandarin and English into the speaker of her bulky office phone, a phone so old it still had a cord.

Grey was about to dial He Tian to see if he knew what to do when the back door burst open. Chen streamed in, soaked to the bone but somehow holding a dry and lit cigarette. Her signature apron was missing and Grey noticed she was wearing street clothes instead of her flower market uniform. 

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Chen snapped.

Grey handed over the keys. “Sorry, I didn’t see you outside.”

“This rain,” Chen waved her hand holding the cigarette vaguely, “it’s bad luck, a bad omen to have this rain and that snow we had last month.” She shook her head and took a drag of her cigarette.

Something had Chen worked up. She never smoked inside (put that out! You’ll ruin the flowers) and she spoke all business, not caring to gossip or small-talk.

Grey’s phone buzzed. “Well, my ride is here, see you next time Chen.” Grey moved to leave but Chen held him in place with a solid look. She took another drag on her cigarette, calculating something. Grey waited.

“Some of my smugglers are acting strange. Their prices for a simple request quadrupled. They’re smuggling something and it’s not blood.” She looked at some point behind Grey, eyes unfocused. “I don’t think it’s drugs either. Something is going on and I can’t tell if it’s vampires or people or both.”

A silence hung and Grey was about to make to leave when Chen snapped to. “I shouldn’t ramble, you’re a peon when it comes to these matters. You’ll catch hypothermia dressed like that, your feet are all soaked. Stay inside until it’s spring. There’s nothing good come from these early rains.”

HE TIAN

Vampires.

What were they but parasites? He Tian pressed his head against his apartment’s cool glass windows, thinking about the taste of Guan Shan on his lips. Sometimes, he was so soft and pliant, all his hard edges gone for a moment. This thirst wasn’t going to lessen. 

The light from his phone felt blinding. He scrolled through his contacts half-heartedly, no participant sounded good today. Nothing sounded good. The only thing he wanted was to hold the redhead close and breath in the smell of him. He wanted to drink from him. 

He curled his lip at the thought. It was such a selfish impulse. But none of his contacts sounded good tonight. He had the urge to throw phone, frustrated and thirsty. Compose yourself, He Tian. You dug yourself into this, into being around him. Too late to find your way out now.

A blood bag would have to do for tonight.

GUAN SHAN

Come over now.

That’s it. That’s all the message said. Guan Shan practically felt his phone burning through his jacket pocket. 

He had been fooling around with He Tian in the office room at the Blue Crow when the text came through. His face dropped when he saw it and he made up some excuse to go. It had been a week since he had almost gone to jail as the fall guy for She Li. He still didn’t understand why He Tian had saved him, or how. But ever since that night in He Tian’s apartment, they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. 

Guan Shan told himself it wasn’t anything. Didn’t mean anything. They never talked about it– whatever it was. Still, He Tian looked awfully concerned when he left and Guan Shan was sure He Tian knew who he was meeting. 

—  
Guan Shan parked his motorcycle in the middle of She Li’s massive driveway, purposely making it difficult for anyone to come or go. The doors opened when he walked up. Not a good sign. One of She Li’s many attendants took Guan Shan’s helmet and ushered him into a dim room lit with a fireplace.

She Li was there, draped in a chair and holding a lit cigar.

Guan Shan repressed a shiver as unnaturally golden eyes scanned him up and down. This was the first time they had met since Guan Shan escaped going to jail. She Li did not seem pleased. The vampire stood. He wasn’t much taller than Guan Shan, but he was bulkier and his slink carried the menace of an animal unhinged.

“I always knew you were a bit of a slut.”

Guan Shan tensed but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t know, could he?

“You reek of He Tian.”

“I work with him.”

“Mm, that’s not what I’m smelling.” She Li crowded in close. Guan Shan made a conscious effort to stand his ground.

“You do have a knack for tangling yourself up with powerful vampires but I didn’t think you’d tangle yourself in his sheets so quickly.”

“We didn’t– what do you want She Li?”

She Li exhaled smoke, “I’m not surprised though, you obviously have influential ‘friends’ to pull off what you did. And how else would you get those friends than with that body of yours?”

It was as if She Li had access to Guan Shan’s innermost fears. He couldn’t fathom why He Tian had helped him. It wasn’t for the Blue Crow. It wasn’t for anything Guan Shan could do. It had to be, well– what had they just done together? 

She Li slinked to his chair and took another puff of his cigar, tapping the ash into an ashtray that was probably worth more than what Guan Shan made in a month. “I have orders to keep He Tian busy. I thought you might help but seems like you’re all I need to keep him occupied. Get close to him and tell me anything that seems important.”

Guan Shan felt the eager presence of vampires behind him, silent predators excited for a taste. She Li motioned at the vampires, “Go ahead, you can drink.” 

“I don’t know them–” Guan Shan felt cool fingers at his neck.

She Li sauntered over, clearly intoxicated by the scene before him. By some cue Guan Shan missed, the two vampires behind him, the ones waiting to drink from him, wrenched his arms behind his back and forced him to his knees in one smooth motion. She Li crouched, gripping Guan Shan’s chin, forcing eye contact. “I know them. They’re not diseased.” his voice dropped low so only they could hear, “Tell me, how did he taste? I hope he was good. Because even though this is all working out in my favor, I’m still pissed that my plan didn’t go through. We live by our plans. Our reputations are by our plans, and you fucked that all up.” He looked at Guan Shan for a moment before releasing his chin.

She Li discussed business while the two vampires fed. There were others in the room, Guan Shan could feel the tension of want, his blood stoking jealousy. But all he could think about was how he didn’t want to lie to He Tian.

JIN YI

Jin Yi loved the way Zheng Xixi looked after him as though he was in need of something. As though he wasn’t a vampire, several hundred years old and the son of one of the most powerful vampire families in all of Beijing.

He loved the way Zhang Xixi was all business when they first met. That first meeting, Zhang Xixi, dressed in his cop uniform, took careful notes in his notepad and asked careful questions about the car crash. He didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that Jin Yi was a vampire. The other cops were ancy, a few steps too far away, their hands near their guns, their eyes darting towards Jin Yi surreptitiously. To be fair, there was blood everywhere.

A semi-truck was driving too fast and hit a patch of ice, It plowed into stopped traffic. Jin Yi had stumbled from his car, mostly unscathed. Others weren’t so lucky.

The paramedics tended to everyone but Jin Yi, carting away the injured and handing blankets and waters to the rest. The police nervously skirted around him, unsure of what to do. Jin Yi sat cross legged and shivering on the side of road away from the rest, bemoaning that today of all days he decided to wear a thin and casual getup.

He was plucking dead grass and contemplating how to get ahold of someone to come get him when raised voices caught his ear. A new cop was fighting with the others. They were motioning in his direction, obviously fighting about the safety of having a vampire near people with cuts and open blood. Jin Yi wanted to tell them that bloodlust didn’t work like that. There was no appeal in drinking from the sick or weak. But instead, he stood and stuffed his hands in his pockets, ready to walk along the freeway until he found somewhere with a phone.

The newcomer cop huffed and turned, marching towards Jin Yi with a blanket and a bottle of water. The other’s yelled something at the newcomer but he ignored them.

Jin Yi raised his hands, palms out, the universal gesture of backing down. “I’m just leaving, don’t worry.”

“No don’t leave. We need your statement. Here. I’m sorry they didn’t give you these sooner.” The newcomer cop handed over the blanket and bottle of water. Jin Yi took them, dumbfounded. This guy was a little gruff in his demeanor but hot hell was he easy on the eyes.

“I’m officer Zhang Xixi,”

Zhang Xixi. Jin Yi rolled the sound of his name around his head, waiting to be able to say it out loud. Zhang Xixi launched into a list of dry questions. Jin Yi took note of his features.

Jin Yi already had a thing for uniforms and Zhang Xixi fit in his well. It was tight in all the right places. He was about the same height as Jin Yi, maybe a touch taller, but more muscular. His hair was a reasonable cut and deep chestnut.

“Jin Yi?”

Oh, and his eyes were the most interesting hue, somewhere between sleight grey and silvery blue.

“I asked why you didn’t move out of the way. It looks like you were able to.”

“I didn’t see him coming.”

“You didn’t see the semi-truck barreling towards you?”

“I was thinking about sparklers.”

“Sparklers?”

“Yeah, how do they explode and spark in your hand, but it’s not too much?”

Zhang Xixi’s face betrayed nothing, just the same strait and even stare, but Jin Yi could feel a twinge of confusion and something else. Bemusement? Annoyance? Zhang Xixi looked back down at his notepad and scribbled something down.

“Any injuries?”

“Nope.”

“What’s that?” Zhang Xixi pointed with his pencil at Jin Yi’s abdomen. His once white t shirt was marked with blood from little cuts.

“Just some small cuts. I heal fast, they’re fine.” Zhang Xixi stared at Jin Yi for a moment, his emotions clearly signaling annoyance at something, although Jin Yi couldn’t figure out what he had done.

Zhang Xixi flipped his notepad closed and stuffed it in a pocket. “Follow me.”

They walked further away from the crowd and towards the clump of cop cars that was keeping traffic away from the accident.

Jin Yi wondered for a moment if he was being arrested for something, but he wasn’t handcuffed and Zhang Xixi’s emotions were at ease other than a slight perturbance at something.

Zhang Xixi unlocked what must have been his cruiser and opened the passenger side front door, reached in and grabbed something. A first aid kit.

“Sit down.”

Jin Yi made to sit where he was standing.

“No– in the car.” Zhang Xixi motioned towards the passenger side front seat. Jin Yi happily obliged. He sat with his feet planted on the concrete outside of the cruiser and obediently took his shirt off when Zhang Xixi ordered him too.

It had been a long time since anyone had taken care of Jin Yi this way. Zhang Xixi cleaned the cuts, working with precise purpose. This close, Jin Yi could fully smell his scent– an intoxicating mix he had no words for. But more than anything, Jin Yi enjoyed the emotions– or lack of emotions– rolling off the stoic cop. There was no fear. No suspicion. No disgust and no revulsion. Zhang Xixi’s emotions were just those of someone doing their job.

Jin Yi was smitten.

He couldn’t get the stoic cop out of his head. So, he did what he did best and snooped. He found out Zhang Xixi wasn’t just a cop, he was detective. And he hadn’t dated anyone seriously in long, long time.

There was a chance. 

He Tian, Jin Yi’s horrendous excuse for a best friend, bluntly told him not to bother.

“He’s a cop. Vampires and cops do not get along, Jin Yi. Also, you don’t know if he’s into men and also, you’re not a man. You’re a vampire. Fat chance anything will ever work out. You’re more likely to get yourself sent to jail than you are to land a date.”

Crushing reality aside, Jin Yi knew it was about the stupidest thing he could do. But, he did it anyways and called the detective to leave tips.

Then one day, Zhang Xixi called him. Jin Yi was over the moon, even if the call was just to see if he had any information in connection with a case.

They started meeting up and over the course of three agonizingly slow years, they became lovers.

It was more than Jin Yi could have dreamed of. But, he was greedy and he dreamed of more. He dreamed of endless days away from everything in a quaint town where nobody knew them and nobody cared that they were together. He looked over at Zhang Xixi and sighed.

A place like that doesn’t exist.

“What are you staring at?”

“You.”

Zhang Xixi pursed his lips, “You’ve seen it all before.”

Jin Yi opened his arms from where he was lying on the bed. Zhang Xixi finished pulling on a pair of sweatpants he had in his hand and crawled into Jin Yi’s arms. “I could look at you forever and still see new things I love about you.”

Zhang Xixi sat up and gazed into Jin Yi’s eyes, “That’s cheesy.”

“It’s true though,” Jin Yi laughed. He dragged his fingers along Zhang Xixi’s back, relishing in the comfort of his weight. “So you know why I want you to quit everything and hole up here with me. I’ll give you all the money you need, anything you want to occupy your time, and we could fall asleep together every night.”

Zhang Xixi’s warm breath tickled. He was thinking, Jin Yi could sense it as much from his body as from his emotions. “What we have now is good.”

“What we have now is tiring.”

“What we have now keeps both of us safe.”

“I don’t think it will much longer.” Jin Yi ran his fingers through Zhang Xix’s hair, reaching for his thoughts in the deep chestnut strands.

“Something has been brewing in the She family for awhile now. They’ve been keeping it quiet but eventually violence will break out, it always does. And when it does, I don’t want you to be there in the middle of it.”

Zhang Xixi planted a whisper of a kiss on Jin Yi’s cheek. “I’m a detective for the police force. I’m going to be right in the middle of whatever happens.”

Jin Yi groaned and clutched him tight. “At least tell me the damn updates you have.”

Zhang Xixi smiled, “It’s not much and it’s kind of odd. The more we learn about the murder victims, the weirder it gets. They were all nasty people with bad habits. A lot of the people on the team are starting think we have a serial killer on our hands who’s doling out vigilante justice. Something still just isn’t sitting right though. I think we’re missing something obvious but I just don’t know what.”

“Mm,” Jin Yi chewed his lip, “I don’t have anything helpful for you. Everything with She Li has been quiet since the Guan Shan framing incident was resolved. Guan Shan’s back at the Blue Crow– the bar has its grand reopening in a few days, He Tian’s going to throw a party. And I don’t tell you specifically about the illegal stuff I’m involved in, so that’s about it then. You make such a terrible cop.”

“I know.”

“Consorting with the enemy.”

“I know.”

Jin Yi was glad a semi truck had plowed through traffic and totaled his car all those years ago. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Even so, even with the words off his lips and Zhang Xixi in his arms, Jin Yi felt a foreboding, had felt it since the redhead had shown up. And he had a strong idea why.


	6. After the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guan Shan is immersed in the world of vampires as She Li’s “participant,” working to get his dad out of a wrongful imprisonment. A rash of murders has locals, and the vampires themselves, scrambling for answers. And in between all the illegal blood trades and shady deals is He Tian.

GUAN SHAN

Being with He Tian was easy. Guan Shan wanted to lash out, to snark and cut him short, burn him with a few well-placed words and drive him away. But when he let that desire go and let himself just be with him, the feeling was better than he wanted to admit.

Working day and night at the Blue Crow was nothing new. As the manager, he often covered shifts and it felt like, any time he took a day off, something went wrong. He was tired, beyond tired, if he was being honest with himself. Especially when She Li called him up.

None of this was new; except for He Tian. He Tian, who would tell him to take the day off. He Tian who, right now, was running a gentle cool finger over the choker Guan Shan wore to cover fresh vampire marks.

Guan Shan let the touch linger for a moment before swatting the hand away.

“I’m fine. I can work.”

He Tian sighed and handed him an envelope. “I just wanted to drop off your official invitation to the Blue Crow’s grand reopening.”

The envelope was heavy. It was thick and smelled nice, the kind of paper that isn’t just paper but stationary. Mo Guan Shan was scrawled in flowing script on the back. “Is this sealed with fucking wax?” Guan Shan ran his finger over the red wax seal on the front. It was pressed with a symbol of some sort, something representing the He family, Guan Shan was sure. 

It felt like a shame to actually open it. He pocketed it and went back to work.

The Blue Crow jazz bar and club had been open for two weeks now and, thanks to He Tian’s many connections, the many people he knew, the many people who wanted to impress him, the bar had turned from a dive bar to a place where underworld kings and queens sipped cocktails and hammered out deals.

He Tian lite a cigarette, his face shadowed by the dim lights. “I already found someone to cover your shift here Saturday for the party. Most of these people,” He Tian motioned vaguely around him, “will be at the party anyways, so it’ll be an easy night for whoever covers.” Guan Shan nodded and poured an order.

Back in his cramped apartment, Guan Shan opened the envelope. It was extravagantly nice and hand written in a script from another era, something that looked old. Guan Shan wondered if it was He Tian’s writing. He couldn’t picture He Tian handwriting every letter.

Rolling over onto his stomach on his bed, Guan Shan clicked through his phone.

Hey

Hey, it’s 4am, you should get some rest.

Who are you to talk, you’re up too.

I’m a vampire. We love the night.

Guan Shan rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help a small smile.

Whatever. I don’t have anything to wear to your party. It looks nice, I don’t really do nice.

I’ll get something for you. Get some sleep, I’ll see you this weekend.

The week passed in a blur. 

SHE LI

“Hey baby.” She Li looked up, feeling more pleased than he should that He Cheng was visiting him.

“Don’t call me that.” The words were a deep rumble out of He Cheng’s mouth. It was an unseasonably warm, early spring day. Dust particles swam in the beams of sunlight streaming through the window of the office in the clandestine casino. He Cheng was immaculate in his black suit, black polished shoes shining, an expensive and heavy watch the only jewelry on him. He Cheng wasn’t one for ostentatiousness, never had been. She Li was fairly sure that his closet was filled with identical black suits and white shirts.

“Oh that’s right, there’s talk that you’ve fallen for one of your own. A bodyguard of your’s, right?”

He Cheng stayed frighteningly impassive.

She Li sighed. “Well, go ahead then. There’s a reason you’re here.” It wasn’t just He Cheng’s expressions that stayed even, his emotions were the most even keeled of any She Li had ever felt. Not a blip of annoyance or anger, no matter how he prodded. It was fascinating.

“Chen’s gone. Packed up and left in the middle of the night and didn’t leave a trace.”

She Li frowned. This was news.

“Something spooked her.” He Cheng stopped there. He didn’t even raise an eyebrow or inflect his voice to ask the question he had come to ask: what do you know about this?

“I don’t keep tabs on your blood supplier. I’m sure that’s a shame for you though, she had such good deals.”

“She was your supplier too. But you don’t know anything.”

“Was that a question He Cheng? You’re really bad at asking them. You’re supposed to change the pitch of your voice.”

“Why are you keeping tabs on my brother?”

“Well that’s a little better. And we all keep tabs on each other, that’s what you’re doing here. Although we could have just done this over a phone call. Or maybe over drinks tonight at He Tian’s. There’s word that you’re going. Are you going to bring your new fling? I really want to meet him.” There it was, a tinge of annoyance.

“Let the redhead go.”

“Oh, I already offered. He turned me down.” There it was, a little bobble in He Cheng’s emotions that She Li knew from experience was surprise. “Interested in that of all things? It’s true, I offered to cut him loose. He practically works for your family anyways. And he hasn’t been much help as a mole, your brother stays tight lipped about anything useful. Plus, He Tian’s quietly pulled in a lawyer to work on Guan Shan’s step-dad’s case. Oh, you didn’t know about that, either, did you? He’s really taken a liking to the redhead, his hero complex is in full swing, it’s funny what centuries of boredom will do to you. Obviously Guan Shan has no idea about the lawyer thing or else, why would he work for me? But anyways, I offered the redhead the chance to leave my employment and officially work for He Tian but he turned me down. I think he likes keeping work and his personal life separate, or at least, that’s what he’s trying to do.”

“I have a lot to tell my brother.”

“Looks like you do.”

GUAN SHAN

Guan Shan sucked in a deep breath and knocked on He Tian’s door. He could hear muffled music and after a beat, He Tian’s voice. Come in, it’s unlocked. Guan Shan slid in, quietly closing the door behind him. He Tian was across the room, pouring over something. Caterers were whipping up more dishes than Guan Shan thought would fit in the apartment. It smelled divine. A decorator was setting uplighting, turning it to warm hues the color of the impending sunset. Curtains, drapes, movable bars, plush seating and buffet tables were set up here and there. Guan Shan could feel himself gaping at it all. The additions made him feel off balance. This wasn’t He Tian’s apartment anymore but a dolled up look-a-like.

“Here, you can follow me.” He Tian was somehow there, next to Guan Shan, lifting his motorcycle helmet out of his hands and replacing it with a glass of something. It was cool on his fingers. Somewhere, a few discordant notes of a piano sang out, a pianist warming up. Guan Shan did his best to follow after He Tian and stay out of the way.

They snaked back towards the bedroom and then further into a large walk in closet, bigger than Guan Shan’s bedroom. Guan Shan swallowed, suddenly nervous. It was quiet in here, the rest of the bustle in the house muted. A 50s song played from a record player in He Tian’s room.

“For a bartender, you don’t drink much.” He Tian set Guan Shan’s helmet on a shelf and turned around, folding his arms and leaning his weight on the shelf. “It was more difficult for me to figure out your favorite drink than your sizes.”

Guan Shan looked down at the drink in his hands. It was a mojito, light on the mint, which was, indeed, his favorite. The song changed to something Guan Shan vaguely recognized.

“Anyways,” He Tian shoved off the shelf he was leaning on and grabbed a hanger with a perfectly pressed suit on it. “blue suits you well.” He handed Guan Shan the hanger. It was heavy with nice fabric and more pieces than Guan Shan knew how to put on.

Guan Shan took a sip of his mojito and lifted the hanger to pretend to appraise the cloths. “Which bar am I working?” The mojito was good. He took another sip. 

He Tian didn’t answer. Guan Shan figured he was playing at something but when he looked up, He Tian had a curious look on. It was more open than Guan Shan had ever seen him.

“Bar?”

“Yeah, I thought, I thought I was here to work?” Guan Shan gripped his drink tighter.

“Oh,” the little word was soft, “No, you’re here as one of the guests.”

Guan Shan momentarily thought about when people in the movies dropped their glasses. “Are you fucking crazy? I won’t know anyone here. Shit, He Tian, I’m not like you.”

He Tian smiled his fake smile. Guan Shan wanted to slap it off. This guy was crazy. Really.

“You know me. And Jin Yi will be here. You can spend all night with him. I wanted NAME here, but she’s not as involved in my world as you are, and I didn’t want to pull her in further. But I thought you could use a night off. Have some drinks, eat some food, go home when you want.”

The immediate impulse flashing through Guan Shan was to say no and slink out. Crowds and social groups were beyond him, especially anything remotely nice. This was way out of his comfort zone. But something he didn’t yet understand tugged at him to stay.

Guan Shan scowled. “You’ll have to help me into this shit. I have no idea how to put it all on. And I’m leaving whenever I want.”

He Tian smiled a real smile this time. “Of course I’m going to help you into it.”

—

It was ridiculous to feel nervous about undressing around He Tian. And yet here Guan Shan found himself, suddenly all fluttering nerves. It wasn’t his fault He Tian was intimidating. He usually looked like he was ready to devour Guan Shan at any moment. Guan Shan sighed and downed the remainder of his drink while He Tian excused himself to attend to something.

Guan Shan took the absence to look around the closet. Dim lighting accented drawers of watches and reeses neatly filled with polished dress shoes and immaculate athletic shoes. There were locked safes in the walls, drawers of watches and cufflinks, and the glimmer of dangerous things. Guan Shan ran his fingers over cool metal. It was weird to be around so much expense. He wondered what it was like to have the ability to choose the priciest thing, just because. He reached out to feel the fabric of He Tian’s t-shirts, softer than any Guan Shan owned. Everything smelled like him, the smell of an designer cologn vaguely reminiscent of sea-spray.

“You go straight for my favorite things.”

Guan Shan startled at He Tian’s deep voice. He turned to see him comfortably lounging in the doorway. There was no telling how long he had been there, but before Guan Shan could snap back with something smart, He Tian was walking forward with another drink in his hand. “I grabbed you another. Now lets get you out of those clothes.”

Ignoring He Tian was part of the process of stripping for him.

For once though, He Tian was a perfect gentleman. Well, perfect if you can count openingly staring as innocent. But when Guan Shan was down to his boxers He Tian simply handed him the first layer of clothing to put on.

“Who’s coming tonight?” Guan Shan asked while struggling to button the shirt. He had to redo it once already. He Tian ambled over in his too graceful way and knocked Guan Shan’s hands out of the way, smoothly buttoning the entire ensemble, then patted everything down, straightening and fixing things, making sure they were in their place. The touch was sanitary– practiced and detached.

“Well, it will be mostly vampires, but they know you. It’s hard not to notice you, if they’ve been to the Blue Crow.”

Guan Shan snorted “That wasn’t an answer.” The clothes fit perfectly, eerily perfectly. And even though he was more done up than he had ever been, Guan Shan didn’t feel irritated by the too close fabric and the too-many layers. It was almost nice, actually. Like wearing a suit of armor. He could briefly pretend to be something he wasn’t. He Tian tied a silk tie gently around Guan Shan’s throat and carefully added cufflinks and a tie pen, all without a hit of flirtation.

“You’re nervous.”

He Tian smiled wirely. “My brother will be here tonight.”

“Oh.” Guan Shan didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t know much about sibling rivalry, or really any family relations beyond mother and son. 

He Tian filled the silence. “We don’t see things the same way, that’s all.” He smoothed down the lapels of Guan Shan’s suit and stepped back. A slow up-down and a low whistle “The others are going to be jealous of you.”

Guan Shan snorted “No they won’t.” The clothes did feel nice though. It was more layers than he had ever worn, but they gave him the reassurance that he would at least appear like he belonged.

The party itself was simply an obnoxious show of posturing. He Tian was overemphasizing when he said it was mostly vampires. It was all vampires.

Vampires in designer clothes and heavy jewels, sipping drinks and talking in webs of words, clouding their meaning behind innocent phrases. Everything felt like it had a second layer, meaning and another meaning born from centuries of living. He Tian took it all in expert stride. Guan Shan had to remind himself that this wasn’t, by a long shot, He Tian’s first social event. Still, watching him was like watching a good magic trick. He said all the right things without giving away his hand.

He Cheng arrived by himself without fanfare but the mood shifted with his arrival. Guan Shan watched it all from his perch at one of the bars, chatting with the bartender and sipping on his fourth drink of the night.

“Is this seat taken?” Guan Shan tensed at the familiar voice and turned to see She Li, sitting and smiling. “I see what he sees in you now. You clean up well.”

Guan Shan wanted to ask what he was doing here, but he already knew. And the drinks sitting warmly in his belly made him care less that She Li was there. “You already knew that.”

“You’re drunk.”

Guan Shan shrugged. “So is everyone else.” He didn’t feel like dealing with She Li tonight. Let the snake look for trouble. For once, he was just going to enjoy himself.

She Li chuckled and grabbed his drink, “Fair enough.” A silence fell between them that wasn’t completely uncomfortable. She Li watched the room, eyeing up the guests, calculating his next move.

Guan Shan scanned the room for a familiar profile: dark hair, tall and lithe.

“You know, you really should take me up on my offer.”

Guan Shan eyed She Li sideways. He was still sizing up the crowd.

“You can give each other what you’re looking for, and,” She Li turned towards Guan Shan, locking eyes, “he’s nicer than me. Your stubborn streak won’t protect you from what you’re most worried of.”

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Guan Shan felt a warm feeling diffuse through him at the thought of being around He Tian. He took a sip of his drink, thinking for a moment. “You’re being awfully charitable tonight.”

She Li looked away at that. Conversation flowed around them, loud enough to make their own conversation unheard. “You’re a favorite in this world, Guan Shan. Partly because of what’s underneath your skin,” he pointed at Guan Shan, pushing gently at his shoulder, “everyone wants a little. But it’s also just you. All these vampires here, they see you and remember other lives.”

“What so I’m their fucking potential?”

She Li smiled his snake-like grin. “Something like that. You don’t have to trust me or my motives, I know you have no reason to, but I’ve cooled down, since you burned me.”

Guan Shan resisted the urge to run his fingers over the marks on his neck.

“Live a good life, Guan Shan, He Tian will take care of you.”

Guan Shan scowled and swirled his drink, taking a long draught.

“Oh but I forget too easily, you don’t want to be taken care of.” She Li leaned in, dropping his voice. “Then just take my word for it, there’s been a storm brewing and it’s best if you’re out of business for awhile.” He leaned back, pulling a cigar and cigar cutter out of his suit pocket. The bartender set out an ashtray. “Swallow your anger and your pride.” She Li lit his cigar, sending up a small cloud of smoke. “Before you let everyone take what they want from you.”

A group walked up then to greet She Li. Guan Shan went back to scanning the room, She Li’s words swimming around his head. A door across the way opened momentarily, revealing two dark haired heads bent towards each other deep in conversation.

—

For about the only time in his life, Guan Shan thought She Li might be right. He looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, glad he had slipped away from the party for a reprieve in He Tian’s bedroom bathroom. It was huge and cleaner than a hospital, like everything else in the apartment. He wasn’t looking for anything, but he opened drawers and cabinets, running his fingers over glass bottles, opening and smelling jars of hair product.

I’ll wait till tomorrow and see how I feel, and then I’ll talk to He Tian. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach at that thought and he tried to push them down. 

A violent buzz from his phone interrupted his thoughts. He fished it out of his pocket, heart beating hard, thinking it was his mom. He hadn’t been around much and he hoped everything was ok. It was with a surprise when he saw the call was from Grey.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Guan Shan! Thank god you answered, Jin Yi found out something and he went off by himself to investigate. I saw him leave in a hurry today but I haven’t heard from him since. I don’t think he told Zhang Xixi what he’s doing, and He Tian has his party tonight…” Guan Shan recognized the concern in Grey’s voice, it was the same tone from when they were kids. “I just, I know it’s not your job to help Jin Yi or anything, and I’m sure he’s fine, but, have you seen him? Is he there?” 

Guan Shan felt his stomach drop. “Do you know where he was headed?”

“Yeah, but you can’t leave, can you?”

“This party is getting boring, I was just about to head out, anyways.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again (I'm so sorry!) my life is pretty dang busy right now. But I haven't dropped this fic! I still intend to finish it (whatever that looks like). 
> 
> So much love to anyone that's stuck with it, enjoyed it, or even just tolerated this self-indulgent mess. ❤️


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